Of Blackbird and Bowties
by Novoklaine
Summary: Basically this is Klaine from Blaine's perspective. I will be going through every episode and sharing our boys story from Blaine's side, so it will include never before seen scenes, and little extra goodies along the way. Previously posted on and Scarves and Coffee under 'Blackbird'. Now being re-vamped and posted in it's entirety. Rating may change as later chapters
1. Chapter 1 - Take Me Back to the Start

**Chapter One**

_**Take Me Back to the Start**_

The wind hits Blaine a little hard as he climbs out of his brother's beaten down car and waves him goodbye, throwing his slightly tattered school bag over his shoulder as he does. He wraps his greying scarf just a little bit tighter around his neck as he heads towards the large, grey building he's seen every day for the last year, large black letters sitting right above the main entrance way.

**East Lima High School**

It's coming close to the end of his freshmen year and if he's being honest, he's feeling a little bummed about it. Not because he'll be moving up to a higher grade and he'll probably need to do even more studying than he does now, but because maybe he won't have any of the same classes as James.

As he walks passed a crowd of boys donning the same blue and yellow letterman jacket, Blaine feels a hand fall heavily onto his shoulder and his lips automatically turn up into a smile.

"Blaine! Man you totally just missed the best dumpster toss we've ever done" a boy grins down at him with large brown eyes shining happily and Blaine can tell he's proud of the fact he's probably just hurt another kid beyond therapies help. But all Blaine does is simply nod and smile, because this is James Stewart.

"Sorry man. My brother didn't get up til late so I had to wait around for him" Blaine smiles and his heart flutters just a little. James was the first friend he'd made in high school and it was safe to say he was definitely in love with him.

Though, of course James would never ever know that.

Being gay wasn't something you just blurted out around here, here being Ohio. People weren't too accepting of it and Blaine had figured that out at the age of 6 when he'd come home from school and told his father all about little Harry Wellington, the new boy in his class with the lovely green eyes and red hair, the boy that Blaine was going to marry one day.

Every time he thinks about little Harry Wellington, his jaw aches just a little from memory of the impact his father's hand had left on him. Needless to say, he'd never talked about the possibility of his sexuality being steered toward men ever again at home.

So whenever Blaine feels butterflies in his stomach from James' touch, he simply swallows and ignores them, and goes back to smiling at his best friend.

"That's cool dude" James grins at him and claps his back before he walks with Blaine toward the locker room. James is a sophomore and he was the first guy to come and talk to Blaine after he'd had a rather rough first day at school. He'd taken Blaine under his wing and now he was the boys best friend and he felt he honestly couldn't ask for a better one. Because James was on the football team, he kept the jocks off his back, and now Blaine might actually be the only freshmen who doesn't get bullied, and he knows that's because of James. He's a nice guy when they're alone, he's a nerd at heart and he shares things with Blaine that he's never told another soul and that makes Blaine feel like perhaps, if he did come out to him, maybe he'd actually be somewhat accepting. Sometimes he feels like he catches James staring at him when they're alone, staring at him in a way that is almost loving. It often makes Blaine blush and James called him a weirdo but he knows that it's just a term of endearment.

It has to be.

Once they reach the lockers, Blaine looks up at James and he feels like perhaps now is the time. He just has to blurt it all out.

"Uh… James?" he breathes and James looks at him with a small smirk as he unlocks his locker, throwing it open to grab out his books for the day.

"Yes, dwarf?" he grins and Blaine looks around for a brief moment to make sure that the hallways aren't too crowded, that there isn't any of their friends hanging around too close, close enough to hear what Blaine might be about to say.

Instead, he sees bright pink posters everywhere with the words **SADIE HAWKINS DANCE** scrawled all over them and Blaine knows that this is his only chance to show James that he cares about him in a way that is classified in a category a lot higher than friendship. The other boy looks at Blaine expectantly and he swallows.

"Are you going to the Sadie Hawkins dance?" Blaine asks quickly and gently, blinking for a moment as he awaits a response.

"No. Are you?" James asks and Blaine sees his eyebrows raise with curiosity. He swallows again and shrugs.

"I haven't been asked yet."

"Don't sweat it dude. It's still three days away. I'm sure you'll find someone" James grins and claps Blaine's shoulder. The boy swallows back all his nerves that he just knows are threatening to come up in vomit form.

_Breathe, Anderson. Just spit it out already!_

"Do you want to go together?" He blurts out and for a moment he thinks that James hasn't heard him. Then the others face turns from a smile to a frown.

"What?"

He let's go of Blaine's shoulder quickly, almost as if he has been burnt.

"Do you want to go with me?" Blaine practically squeaks out and is met with an immediate frown.

"As friends?" the jock asks and for a moment Blaine is about to tell him, _no. I love you. I want to go as your date. I want to dance with you and kiss you under the fake stars and have you tell me you've always loved me too_. _ I want to drink spiked punch with you and laugh with our friends like any straight couple would at a school dance._

"Yeah. Of course. As friends" He smiles falsely. The light comes back into James's eyes just as quickly as it had left and he grins.

"God, Blaine. Don't scare me like that. People might think you're a homo or something" he chuckles and claps Blaine's arm again before he simply leaves him and his broken heart in the middle of the hallway.

Blaine lets out a shaky breath and swallows hard and opens up his locker to collect his books. He's not entirely sure how to feel. James has never been homophobic around him before, and he can't help but feel like maybe he's putting up some wall to keep Blaine from finding out the truth. Hearing that word come from James' lips had really stung, and deep down Blaine knows that his feelings towards James are only going to end in heartbreak, but he's always been a big advocate for dreams coming true, and he really hopes that his will someday too.

* * *

Blaine spends the rest of the day by himself, mulling everything over. Maybe he really shouldn't come out to James, or any of his other friends for that matter. Maybe he should just stay in the closet and follow in his father's footsteps. He'd be proud to have a doctor for a son.

It's not until he heads out to the car park to wait for Cooper after the final bell rings that he realises he doesn't have a choice in whether or not to come out. He needs to, and he needs to now.

James is the one he notices first.

He's shoving a tall boy with bright blue hair, yelling something Blaine can't quite hear. Then he notices two other jocks, both sophomores too, who are going through the blue haired boy's bag, throwing his things into the trash, screaming words at him that tear Blaine's heart in two. What hurts more is he knows that boy.

It's Marcus Harrison, a sophomore like them. He's in a few of Blaine's classes and sometimes when Cooper works late, he drives Blaine home. He's a lovely guy and he's also the only person in the world who knows that Blaine is gay. He takes a deep breath and without really thinking, Blaine hurries forward and stops right beside James, chest heaving a little as nerves take over.

"What the hell are you doing?"

James turns to look at him, as does Marcus. The boy's blue eyes stare at Blaine and he shakes his head in protest, but Blaine simply ignores him.

"Blaine! You're just in time. We're about to throw this _fag_ into the trash" James grins and Blaine just stares a him, heart hammering away in his chest. He is starting to feel sick.

"What? Because he's gay?" Blaine asks with a shaking voice and Marcus starts to shake his head rather violently.

"Blaine don't" he hisses and James ignores him, still grinning his charming grin.

"Yeah. Because he's a fag" He nods and Blaine swallows, stomach churning as he sets his bag down with shaking hands. He has to do it. It's now or never.

"Then you need to throw me in too" Blaine says with a lot less confidence than he'd intended but he knows James has heard him because he lets go of Marcus instantly and looks at Blaine with large, unbelieving eyes. _This is it. _

"Blaine?" the boy asks, a soft tone to his voice that was unexpected and Marcus takes this time to steal back his bag, moving to stand beside Blaine. The young boy swallows hard and look at James.

"Do it. Throw me in" Blaine hisses, daring him to even try and James just stares at him for what feels like an eternity, before he steps back.

Blaine lets out a breath he had been holding in and Marcus picks up his bag, taking his hand, dragging him off towards the car park before any of the jocks can even get a word in.

Blaine's heart pounds in his chest as he swallows back what he's sure is vomit.

He's just come out.

He's come out as gay and he can't go back.

Marcus stops when they get to the far side of the car park and he immediately pulls Blaine in for a tight embrace. Blaine can smell his cologne and it's oddly comforting, so he hugs him back.

"Thank you, Blaine" he hears a whisper and feels a kiss in his hair.

"Thank you so much." He sniffs and pulls back to smile at him. Blaine just nods gently and sniffs when Marcus strokes his cheek. "You are so brave to do that. I'm so… so grateful... so much." He nods and bites his lip for a moment. "Come with me to the Sadie Hawkins dance" he breathes and it causes Blaine to stutter.

"Marcus… I... I can't…"

"As friends Blaine. As friends. But this time we don't need to hide. It will be fun" he nods and Blaine takes a moment to consider this. Would it be good for him to actually go out as himself for the first time in his life? He sighs and gives the smallest of nods.

"Okay" He says and Marcus hugs him again and he realises that he likes the blue haired boy's hugs, and maybe he could get used to them.

* * *

"So it wasn't that bad right?" Marcus smiles as he stands next to Blaine in a matching blue tux that seems to also match his hair and Blaine can't help but grin at him from under the light of the streetlamp, because he's right. It wasn't that bad. They'd spent the night dancing together and having a good time and no one had even bothered to annoy them. Just to be safe they had sat down for all the slow dances but even then they'd giggled and been close and not one soul seemed to mind. That really made Blaine feel good. The passed two days at school had been oddly okay. No one had tried to bother him, yell at him or toss him into a dumpster. James has kept his distance, naturally, but he hadn't uttered a single slur in Blaine's direction and Blaine couldn't help but feel a small sense of hope. Like maybe the world wasn't such a bad place after all, maybe he would actually be okay. Perhaps he could actually be _himself_.

He reaches for the boy's hand and their fingers slide together and Marcus gives his hand a small squeeze.

"Thanks for coming with me, Blaine. You're a great guy…" he hums and goes to say something else but a wolf whistle cuts him off. He drops Blaine's hand immediately and spins around, facing back toward the school. Blaine frowns a little and turns to follow his gaze, squinting as he tries to make out who made the noise. In the darkness, he can see one, two, three, four, five figures slowly emerge, all wearing matching grins that make his breath hitch in his throat and his heart double it's speed. Leading the pack is James, in what appears to be a red suit, and Blaine can see from the look in his eyes that he's about to have some fun tonight.

Blaine glances at Marcus as the blood drains from his face.

"When's your Dad coming?" Blaine whispers and Marcus doesn't look at him as he gives his answer.

"Ten minutes"

_Shit._

James slowly stops in front of them and neither of the boys dare speak a word. Blaine can feel that they are both cold and frightened and want nothing more than to go home, and right now, not a single bone in Blaine's body trusts the boy who, only 3 days ago, was his best friend.

Not one single bone.

"_Blainey _" James grins and Blaine swallows hard.

"James… please just leave" he breathes and watches as James simply clicks his fingers and two guys leave, heading in different directions. Blaine frantically follows them with his eyes and James smiles.

"Don't worry Blaine, they're just on lookout" he grins and before Blaine knows it, one of the boys behind him has Marcus pinned to the floor, the boy gasping with the wind knocked out of him.

"Stop! Don't touch him!" Blaine starts to yell, but a fist collides with his jaw and he falls to the hard floor, head swimming with agony. He blinks but his vision is blurred and all he can hear is the soft screams coming from beside him and he prays. He prays to God that Marcus is okay, but he has a gut wrenching feeling that he isn't. He tries to breathe through the pain but his head is killing him and he only just notices the hand that grips at his suit and tugs him upward with such a force his neck clicks and he groans out in pain once more. He can hear the blood gushing around his body and he wants it to stop.

"You're sick" James voice echoes in his ears and the boy throws another punch, fist colliding this time with Blaine's ribs. A scream erupts from his throat but it never makes it out as another punch hits his stomach, causing him to cough and splutter violently. His head spins and he can taste blood and bile in his mouth but he can't swallow. Instead he feels it slide down his chin and he trembles as James' once gorgeous, once kind, now horrifyingly terrifying face comes into focus. His eyes are cold as he glares at Blaine and his hand grips his shirt even tighter.

"You're fucked up. You hear me? I let you in my room, I let you in my bed. You're a twisted _fag_ and you need to learn your place. Do you hear me? You're wrong for this world Blaine. You don't deserve a life" he growls and throws Blaine to the ground and the last thing he hears is the screeching of tyres before his world goes cold and silent and black.

* * *

Blaine finds out that Marcus is paralysed from the waist down.

No one knows for how long. But then again, they all know that if someone's tailbone and spinal cord are shattered and damaged by a baseball bat, there's going to be some long lasting damage, if not permanent.

Blaine gets off okay. He only has a broken rib and nose, a swollen jaw and some cuts a bruises. Compared to Marcus, it seems like he just tripped over and got a few scrapes.

No one does anything about it. They say they have no way of knowing who did it because the boys were both so concussed, and all the boys they named had alibi's. They say they just need to be more careful. More alert.

In other words, they don't care.

Marcus transfers schools the moment he gets out of hospital and he drops contact with Blaine a few weeks later and he's all alone.

No one will talk to the gay kid.

No one wants to hang out or study with or even be seen with the gay kid.

He's all alone and not one damn person seems to notice.

It's only after months of torment and hurt that Blaine comes home with puffy eyes and begs his father to let him move. He begs for hours and is turned away. Later the same night, he swallows the entire bottle of his fathers sleeping pills and wakes up in hospital with a crying mother beside him. Cooper tells him how he had found his little brother, barely alive in his room, and how their father had already spoken to the school about a transfer. Not even a week later he stands in the halls of Dalton Academy, a freshman, a lone soul.

He walks down the grand hall, straightening his tie with nervous hands, and a tall boy bumps into him and for a brief moment a flash of fear seems to race through Blaine's veins and he cowers away.

"Oh. I'm so sorry" a soft voice hums and Blaine looks up at a smiling face. The boy, Asian and well built, offers Blaine his hand.

"Hi. I'm Wes Montgomery. Welcome to Dalton" he grins and Blaine timidly shakes his hand as the fear flows away.

He's knows he's safe.

Inside these walls and iron gates he's finally safe.

At least for now, at least until reality comes back and his walls have to go back up. But for now he can be himself.

And it had never felt so good.


	2. Chapter 2 - Never Been Kissed

_**Thank you all for the lovely support for this story. I will be updating weekly from now on. Please let me know if there is anything you think happened between our two boys that did not make it onto the screen :D **_

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_**Never Been Kissed**_

As the Dalton hallways fill with chatter and the shuffling of students, Blaine is pretty sure he's never felt as ready to perform. The Warblers and himself have been practising different numbers all week, just for the off chance that perhaps they'd have a small window in which to perform for the student body during the busy school day. The more performances they give, the more popular they become, and perhaps they'd even recruit some more members. Blaine feels his phone buzz in his pocket as he comes out of his French class, slipping his books into his bag before he opens it up.

**/Performance time! Meet you in the Senior Commons in 5! Teenage Dream -Wes/**

Blaine grins and stows his phone away as he reaches the top of the staircase. He'd had a feeling when he'd woken up this morning that today was going to be a good day, that something great was coming. Maybe this performance would really give them the last-minute ego boost they needed to win their upcoming Sectionals competition. A few Warblers race passed him, and he chuckles to himself and checks his pocket watch one more time as he descends. He really doesn't want to be late, especially since he's been asked to sing lead, again.

"Oh excuse me!"

A soft, high toned voice calls out and grabs Blaine's attention and he turns around as he reaches the bottom of the marble staircase, looking up to see a boy around his age standing there, not in the Dalton uniform. He's slender, very pale skinned and rather beautiful for a boy, Blaine thinks.

"Um, hi. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here"

The moment those words come from the boy's mouth Blaine knows that he's lying. Dalton issues every new student with a uniform at least three days before their first day. He decides to let it slide though, curious as to what this strangely attractive boy is doing at his school. So instead, he offers out his hand like a gentleman and smiles.

"My name's Blaine"

The boy shakes his hand quickly and Blaine makes a mental note of just how warm and soft his hands are.

"Kurt. So, what exactly is going on?" Kurt asks with a raised brow and Blaine smiles, looking around as a few more students pass them by and head down the hallway towards the common room.

"The Warblers. Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the Senior commons, tends to shut the school down for a while." Blaine gives the boy a small smirk, rather proud that he can talk about his show choir like this. He notices the look of shock on Kurt's face and doesn't have to ask what it's for.

"So, wait, the glee club here is kind of cool?"

Kurt speaks in a tone of disbelief and Blaine smiles happily.

"The Warblers are like rock stars." He hums and pauses for a small moment. He has no idea where this boy is from or what he's doing here, but it seems like he is genuinely interesting in what Blaine has to say.

"Come on, I know a short cut"

And with that Blaine takes the boy's soft hand and tugs him off down a different hallway, smiling to himself as they jog. He glances over to Kurt and takes note at how amazed he appears at the décor. His smile remains on his face as he finally let's go of Kurt's hand, opening up the doors to the senior commons. It's quite full inside, Blaine giving a few of his Warbler friends a small smile as he enters. Some of them are moving chairs and tables out of the way, the rest of the people in the room all crowding around, piling in to get a good view of the show to come.

"Ooh, I stick out like a sore thumb"

Kurt's comment makes Blaine smirk just a little and he turns to look at the boy. He is clearly taken aback, his light eyes are wide, taking in his new surroundings. There is a slight new pinkness to his prominent cheeks that Blaine decides suits him. He reaches out and straightens the lapel of Kurt's adorable attempt at a Dalton blazer and smiles at him.

"Well, next time don't forget your jacket, new kid. You'll fit right in" He smiles and makes another mental note of how lovely Kurt looks when he smiles.

"Now, if you'll excuse me" he hums and moves to stand with his fellow Warblers, grinning from ear to ear as they start their acapella rendition of Teenage Dream.

Throughout the song, Blaine can't help but notice how in awe Kurt seems to be. The boy watches them with what Blaine can only describe as admiration. He notices Kurt look around the room to gage other people's reaction, and Blaine decides that perhaps Kurt needs this, for whatever reason. He needs to see that a place as freeing as this is real. He needs some form of connection. Blaine knows all too well how it feels to be lost, to feel like you're just floating around with nothing in sight to grab onto. So, he gives Kurt something to grab. Blaine keeps is eyes on the boy as he sings, hoping that perhaps his way of reaching out will give the boy an answer to whatever it was he came here looking for, and it certainly wasn't to spy on the Warblers. Yes, Blaine had figured that the attempt of a uniform and the curiosity for the glee club here could really only point to a competitor coming to take a look at the competition.

When the song ends, Blaine watches as Kurt claps happily and grips onto his satchel strap.

"Who's the kid out of uniform?" Wes asks Blaine as he passes, keeping his voice low. Blaine looks to his friend and gives him a smile.

"Honestly? Spy for Sections, I think. I'll meet you in the café in about ten minutes. Bring David."

Wes gives him a nod and claps his shoulder before he heads off. Blaine straightens his tie, fixes his hair and makes his way over to Kurt, keeping a smile on his lips.

"So, thoughts? Constructive criticism?" he muses, folding his arms across his chest, cocking his head to the side as Kurt looks at him with a blank expression for the briefest of moments before he lets out a breath and smiles.

"You're all so talented, it was amazing… breath taking, actually" the boy breathes and Blaine can't help but smile a little wider. Kurt had actually enjoyed the performance.

"Is that what you'll report back?" he asks casually, so casually that it takes a moment or two before the colour drains from Kurt's face and his grip on his satchel strap increases.

"I… I'm sorry…"

"Kurt. Why don't you take a few minutes to yourself, breathe? Then come and meet us down the hallway, two doors to your left is a café. We can… talk there" Blaine nods and gives the boys arm a small squeeze. Kurt simply nods.

"I… Okay." He sniffs and little and turns on his heel, hurrying off back the way Blaine had brought him. Blaine nibbles on his lower lip as he watches the boy leave. There's something about him that Blaine can't quite shake. He seems like an interesting character, one that Blaine would love to get to know. He picks up his bag from where it has been set on a nearby table, slotting it onto his shoulder before he begins to make his down the hallway towards the café, taking his time to admire it as he goes.

On his first day at Dalton, Blaine's face had mirrored Kurt's awe exactly. He wasn't aware that such a divine place could exist, or that the people populating it could be as accepting and as kind as they were. Blaine had made his home here, and he really hoped he could share some of his journey with Kurt, if need be.

* * *

"Think he'll like a latte?" Wes asks as Blaine enters the café, holding up a tray with four steaming hot cups on them. Blaine nods and takes a seat beside David, thanking Wes for the coffee.

"I'm sure he will. He seems a little… nervous."

"We were always going to be nice about this. This isn't the first time someone has tried to spy on us before competition time" Wes notifies him as he takes his seat beside Blaine. Blaine sips his coffee and nods.

"I know… but I have a feeling that he didn't just come here to spy." Blaine looks at his two friends and they both nod in agreeance.

"He had the same look on his face that you did when I first gave you the Dalton Tour." Wes tells him before he takes a sip from his coffee.

"Exactly, which is why I think maybe he has an ulterior motive for coming. He has to be from the New Directions, though, right? I mean, I haven't seen them perform before, but the only other team performing against us at Sectionals are all retirees" Blaine sighs and David fiddles his hid blazer cuffs a little.

"Must be. So, what are we going to do?" he asks, looking over at the other two boys. Blaine nibbles on his lower lip a little as he muddles through the situation in his head. At the end of the day, all they _can_ do is talk to the boy. They don't have a show choir director like most of the other schools, so they are entirely led by the student body. No teacher would ever need to get involved, and it isn't a crime to attend a school that isn't your own for a viewing, if that really was what Kurt had been doing.

"I think we need to figure out why he's here. If it's just for spying, then we can give him a slap on the wrist and send him on his way. We aren't planning on performing Teenage Dream at Sectionals anyway, so it's not like they can take our song ideas. And we all know how hard it is to be fully acapella, so they won't have time to try and copy how we do songs," Blaine shrugs his shoulders and sets his coffee back down on the table. "But if it turns out that he's here for something more… then we help in whatever way we can"

Wes opens his mouth to speak when there is a small knock on the door opposite, Kurt standing there. He's changed his clothes. Gone is the imitation of the Dalton uniform, in its place a more sophisticated outfit of a grey dress shirt, a charcoal throwover collar and a nice tie with black skinny jeans. Blaine takes a moment to look the boy up and down before he comes over to sit. He gives Wes and David weary smiles before Blaine pushes the fourth coffee cup over to him.

"Latte?" he hums and Kurt mouths a thank you at him softly.

"This is Wes and David" Blaine gives small gesture to the boys seated beside him, both giving Kurt small smiles.

"It's very civilised of you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying" Kurt speaks in an almost defensive tone and Wes is quick to respond.

"We are not going to beat you up" he states and Blaine almost sighs as he sips his latte, the warm rush that passes through him giving him a little more confidence for the conversation they're having with this total stranger. That's what he is after all.

"You were such a terrible spy, we thought it sort of… endearing" David chuckles and Blaine nods in agreeance, setting down his cup.

"Which made me think that spying on us wasn't really the reason you came."

Blaine shoots Kurt a knowing look, smiling to himself when Kurt lets out a breath, clearly realising the boys in blazers had found out the truth.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" He looks at the three and they all smile slightly, allowing him to ask.

"Are you guys all gay?"

Blaine chuckles and Wes and David look at him with a glimmer of amusement in their eyes. Blaine had asked them the very same thing on his first day. Blaine looks at Kurt and notices that the boy isn't laughing along with them.

"Uh, uh no. I mean, I am, but these two have girlfriends" Blaine smiles and gestures to his two friends, feeling just a little prouder of himself. He'd discovered that at his time at Dalton, the idea of people knowing his sexuality didn't seem to bother him anymore. In fact, he was rather open about the subject.

"This is not a gay school. We just have a zero-tolerance harassment policy." David smiles at Kurt and Wes nods.

"Everybody gets treated the same. No matter what they are. It's pretty simple."

Those words that had once given Blaine all the hope in the world, brought tears to Kurt's eyes. The boy looks completely and utterly shocked. Blaine watches him for a moment, noticing the look of fear and confusion in his eyes, remembering that look all too well.

"Would you guys excuse us?" He asks and looks to Wes and David. They both shoot him a questioning look but rise to their feet all the same.

"Take it easy Kurt" Wes tells the boy before he and David leave with their coffee's in hand. Blaine adjusts himself in his seat and lets out a small sigh.

"I take it you're having trouble at school"

The tears remain in Kurt's eyes and Blaine fights off the feeling to reach out and take the boys hand to comfort him.

"I'm the only out of the closet at my school. And I-I I try to stay strong about it, but there's this Neanderthal who's made it his mission to make my life a living hell. And nobody seems to notice"

By this point Kurt is crying, and Blaine can feel his own stomach start to churn. How could people still be this ignorant and hateful? His palms start to sweat under the table as memories from his freshmen year start to make their way back into his mind. It sounded to him like Kurt was going through a hell of a lot more than he had.

"I know how you feel" he tells him, deciding to risk sounding like a person who says they know when they really don't. Because of course Blaine knows how it feels, and if any advice he has to give could help this boy… he'd give it.

"I got taunted at my old school, and it really…pissed me off. I even complained about it to the faculty, and they were sympathetic and all, but you could just tell that nobody really…cared" Blaine sighs softly and tries to push away the many conversations he'd had with his teachers, with his principal about how unsafe he felt around James and the other boys in his classes.

"It was like, hey… if you're gay…your life is just gonna be miserable. Sorry. Nothing we can do about it," Blaine notices the defeat in Kurt's eyes and speaks up again. "So, I left, and I came here. Simple as that"

Of course, it wasn't as simple as that, but Blaine didn't need to be spilling his past to someone he had only just met.

"So, you have two options. I mean, I'd love to tell you to just come enrol here, but tuition at Dalton's sort of steep, and I know that's not an option for everybody. Or you can refuse to be the victim. Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have a chance right now to teach him." Blaine tells the boy and for a moment he believes it himself. If someone had told him this when he'd been bullied… he knows that he might not regret his decision to run quite as much as he does now.

"How?"

"Confront him. Call him out. I ran, Kurt. I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away. And it is something that I really, really regret." Blaine lets out a soft sigh as Kurt sips his coffee and sets it back down again, shaking his head.

"He's… so much bigger than me…"

"I know it's daunting… I get that. But half the time bullies persist because they know that no one will fight back. If you do… he might just stop." Blaine smiles softly and bites his lip before he reaches across the table and takes the boys hand into his own. It's soft and warm and Blaine isn't sure why he's doing this, but it feels right. He squeezes the boy's hand and bypasses his shocked expression.

"Courage… is something that not a lot of people use, and you have it, Kurt. You needed it to be able to come here today and share this with me. And it will be all you need when you confront this guy. And if you need me… I'll be a phone call away" Blaine releases Kurt's hand and pulls his phone from his pocket, handing it over to Kurt. Kurt swallows for a moment before he takes the boys phone with shaking hands.

"You're… okay with giving me your number?" he asks, and Blaine gives him a soft smile.

"Of course. You need someone on your side Kurt. I'm willing to be that person. And hey, you've gained a friend out of coming here today" He hums and sits back in his chair, watching as Kurt smiles and types in his number. He hands Blaine's phone back to him and looks around the room.

"It's a nice school…"

"It is."

"Do you board here?"

"Yeah. There are a few boarding houses just behind the school. My folks live in Lima so it's a bit of a trek to come here every morning from there" Blaine tells him and finishes off his coffee, Kurt's eyes lighting up at his words.

"I…I'm from Lima." He hums and Blaine raises an eyebrow.

"You drove all this way… to spy on a rival glee club? Now that's dedication" He smirks and Kurt nibbles on his lower lip, fingers tapping against his cup.

"We both know now that was not the main reason for my visit…"

"I know. I'm messing with you. I'm assuming that you are a member of the New Directions" Blaine smiles and takes pleasure in watching Kurt's light eyes grow wide at his comment.

"How did you…"

"Know? We have the competition list too Kurt, and unless you are in fact a 70-year-old man… I'm going to assume you belong to the only rival school on the list" he chuckles, and Kurt shakes his head as he laughs softly.

"I really wasn't a very good spy, was I?" Kurt smiles, wider than he has all day and Blaine laughs and shakes his head.

"Not at all"

A silence falls over them as they both smile and look down at their coffee cups. Blaine looks back up at Kurt and wonders for a moment if this was how Marcus felt about him in the beginning. He'd clearly seen Blaine as a little bird, lost with broken wings, in need of help. Maybe this was Blaine's time for redemption. Maybe Kurt coming here today was meant to be, perhaps Blaine was meant to help him get his wings back.

"I should probably be getting back… before my Dad starts to worry" Kurt says slowly and gets to his feet, Blaine doing he time.

"Of course. I… you want me to walk you out?" he offers, and Kurt shakes his head as he slips his bag onto his shoulder.

"Thank you… but I'll be fine." He hums and looks at Blaine with a soft smile. "Thank you, Blaine. For… everything" He breathes, and Blaine moves over to him as Kurt offers out his hand for him to shake. He takes it and places his other hand over the top of the boys, squeezing softly.

"Don't thank me. Just… take care of yourself Kurt. And please... don't hesitate to call" He smiles and when Kurt lets go of his hand and waves goodbye, Blaine feels something tug in his stomach. He doesn't want Kurt to go. He wants to learn more about this lovely boy. He takes a seat and opens his phone. He has a message from his mother and one from Wes, but he ignores them and opens up a new message.

**/Courage xx -B/**

He sends the message and sits back in his chair, taking the time alone to reflect on just how much he'd overcome in the past year, and he really hopes that Kurt can do the exact same.

* * *

Since that day at Dalton, Blaine and Kurt text every second that they get. Sometimes it's just pointless little messages talking about nonsense, and sometimes it's so deep that Blaine must take a moment to remember that this is a boy he's only just met. That doesn't change the fact that he feels completely comfortable messaging this boy. They haven't called each other yet, but Blaine knows that step will come. Right now, he was just enjoying having a new friend.

The first call comes when he's sitting in the Dalton garden by himself, surrounded by a few textbooks for his history class, trying his hardest to focus on the founding fathers. A smile spreads across his lips when he sees Kurt's name pop up on his screen, immediately answering.

"Hey you" he hums and leans against the trunk of the tree he sits under, closing his textbook.

"Blaine… I… I'm sorry… I just don't really know what to do"

Kurt's voice is high and it's shaking, and Blaine immediately feels dread hit him hard. Kurt's in trouble.

"Kurt, what's going on? Are you okay… are you safe?" Blaine asks, trying to keep his voice calm, even though he's internally freaking out. _What if they had him cornered? What if there was more than just one guy there? Was Kurt about to be hurt?_

"Yeah… yeah I'm safe"

Blaine lets out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding in, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Okay good… good. What's wrong?"

"I thought I was okay but… seeing him every day in the halls... I get so scared that he'll do it again…" Kurt speaks quickly and lets out a soft sob at the end of his sentence that causes a lump to in Blaine's throat.

"That he'll do what again, Kurt?" He's scared to ask, scared to find out if the answer is as bad as he thinks it is.

"He kissed me"

The words shock Blaine a little, and he just sits there under the tree, staring off into the distance. Karofsky had kissed Kurt? That was… unexpected. And extremely wrong. Twisted, even. Was Karofsky gay? Could someone really be hurting and hiding themselves that much, that they'd take all their emotions out on someone who wasn't afraid to be themselves? Blaine comes to the conclusion that, yes… that could be the case.

"Kurt…I'm coming to you"

Blaine's not really sure what his plan of action is here, but he knows that if this boy is willing to kiss Kurt against his will, and go right back to harming him… he could definitely be cable of taking things a whole lot further.

"You don't have to come here Blaine, I just needed to tell someone…"

"I'm coming anyway." Blaine says firmly, starting to shove his things into his bag.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. It sounds like he's… confused. Maybe if I talk to him…"

"He's not one for talking Blaine. He likes to use his fists a whole lot more than his words."

"We'll see. Besides… you sound like you could use a friend right now" Blaine sighs and swings his bag over his shoulder, fishing around for his keys as he hurries across the grounds towards the student parking lot.

"I could. If you're really sure?"

"I'm already on my way" Blaine smiles as he climbs into his car and sighs for a moment.

"Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"You confronted him didn't you"

There is silence on the other end for a moment as the realisation kicks in and Blaine runs a hand through his hair.

"Yes."

Blaine bites down hard on his lip. He'd caused this to happen. Him and his _bloody_ advice.

"I know what you're thinking Blaine, so stop it. This is not your fault. I needed to do this. We… had no idea that this would be the outcome" Kurt tells him softly and Blaine sighs.

"I know - I know…"

"So stop blaming yourself this instant. I'll meet you outside the school."

"Okay"

They hang up and Blaine shakes off all his negative feelings as he starts the long drive to Lima. He can afford to skip a few classes, and he'll explain to Wes the situation and hopefully he won't cop too much slack for skipping out on a rehearsal. He flicks the radio on as he drives, refusing to think about this being his fault. Kurt was right, he had needed to stand up to this guy.

_What if that had happened to me?_

The thought makes itself clear in Blaine's mind. What if he'd finally stood up to James after the Sadie Hawkins dance? What if he'd told him what was what, made him stop all his vicious taunts and violent acts? Would James have kissed him?

No. He was homophobic. He wasn't a closet case.

Blaine tells himself this over and over as he drives and feels almost sick to the stomach that the idea of kissing James still seems to give him some form of butterflies. It was hard, to separate the James he had known to be his best friend, and the James that made his world hell for months on end. Sometimes Blaine liked to think that they were two different people, but the reality was that they were the same. And he needed to understand that, the sooner the better.

* * *

Blaine spots Kurt the moment he pulls up at McKinley. He's standing there in front of the school, blue coat and grey scarf on to keep him warm, accompanied by a pair of black jeans. So, Kurt has impeccable taste in fashion. Blaine notes this as he gets out of his car and smiles over to Kurt, who waves and hurries over to him, bag hitting his hip as he does.

"Hey! Thank you so much for this" he breathes and stops in front of Blaine, clearly nervous as he lets out a breath. Blaine reaches out and squeezes his arm.

"Relax. It's fine. I'm here. Now… did you want to do this now…" he asks and receives a quick nod from Kurt.

"Please"

The pair walk into the building and Blaine realises immediately that he stands out. He's still in his Dalton uniform and a few people are giving him odd looks here and there. Regardless, he's here for Kurt.

"I don't know why I called you… this happened yesterday. I just felt so scared that it could happen again." Kurt explains as they walk and Blaine shakes his head.

"Honestly Kurt, I'm glad you called. That's why I gave you my number" he tells the boy and they share a small smile as they start to head up the stairs.

"Thanks again, for coming"

"Don't worry about it. Just let me do the talking" Blaine states and Kurt gives him a nod, looking up. Blaine notices the colour drain a little from the boy's cheeks.

"There he is"

Blaine looks up and spots who Kurt is talking about, and Kurt was right. He's massive and would easily be able to take Blaine down if it came to it, but it won't. Blaine swallows and looks to Kurt.

"I got your back" he hums and makes his way up the steps.

"Excuse me" he calls and gets the attention of Karofsky, who smirks just a little at the sight of Kurt and this boy he's never seen before.

"Hey, lady boys. This your boyfriend, Kurt?" Karofsky looks down at Blaine and frowns, looking at him like he just might be the scum of the Earth. Blaine takes in a breath before he composes himself. There was no need to make this any worse by allowing his ego to be bruised.

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something." Blaine states simply and almost kindly and Karofsky simply rolls his eyes.

"I gotta go to class." He huffs and pushes passed Kurt, knocking the boy to the side. Something in Blaine stirs and he raises his voice a little.

"Kurt told me what you did."

Karofsky turns at those words and shrugs, shoving his large hands into his pockets.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" he asks and it's Kurt who speaks up.

"You kissed me"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Dave huffs and it's then that Blaine notices a dash of fear in his eyes. Perhaps he needs to take a different approach to confronting this boy.  
The boy begins to walk away as Blaine starts to talk, keeping as calm as he can be. He doesn't need things to escalate any further.

"It seems like you might be a little confused. And that's totally normal. This is a very hard thing to come to terms with, and you should just know that you're not alone."

As Blaine finishes his sentence, his stomach flips as Karofsky hurries back up the stairs, a face of rage. He grabs Blaine by his blazer and Blaine is sure that- for a small moment- he's about to be punched. Instead, he is forced backwards into the fence and slammed against it hard.

"Don't mess with me!" Karofsky spits and Blaine's hands immediately rise up in defence, his heart hammering away inside his chest, readying him in case he needs to run.

"You have to stop this!"

It's Kurt's voice that he hears and it's Kurt who shoves the jock of him, Blaine finally letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. Karofsky just gives them a glance before he runs off down the stairs, leaving Blaine to internally calm himself before he panics in front of Kurt.

"Well he's not coming out anytime soon"

His sad attempt at lightening the mood does nothing of the sort, and he watches as Kurt takes a seat in defeat on the cold steps. Blaine sighs and straightens his blazer, moving over to the boy.

"What's going on? Why are you so upset?"

_Stupid thing to ask Blaine. His bully just displayed physical violence in front of him, and basically showed he was never going to change. And hey, Kurt was kissed against his will. What could possibly be wrong?_

Blaine regrets his question the moment he asks it, though Kurt doesn't seem to mind him asking.

"Because until yesterday, I had never been kissed. Or at least, one that counted" Kurt sniffs and Blaine takes a long moment to look at him. Kurt had never been kissed before. The very idea of having a first kiss stolen makes Blaine's heart ache. He pats Kurt on the shoulder and gets to his feet.

"Come on. I'll buy you lunch"

Kurt gets on his feet and quickly wipes his eyes as Blaine does up his blazer.

"Are you okay?" He asks as they begin to walk back towards Blaine's car. Blaine flashes him a smile and nods.

"Yeah. I've had worse. Besides, it really does seem like he's just too afraid to admit to himself who he really is. I'd suggest… perhaps… staying out of his way until that happens. I know that goes back on what I said about confronting him and having courage…"

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you"

Blaine looks at the boy beside him and swallows when he sees the sincere and soft expression on his face. He feels his cheeks pink just a little and he nudges the boy's shoulder with his own.

"You're welcome, Kurt"

The boys both smile as they continue out into the carpark, Blaine shoving his hands into his pockets. It's been a while since he's made a new friend and to him, Kurt seems like a really nice guy. He hasn't felt this open with anyone since James. The thought of his old best friend brings a little bit of fear into his bones, but he pushes that thought away with the thought of how hungry he is right now and how Kurt seems to be fidgeting with his scarf a little as he waits beside Blaine for him to unlock the car.

"So… Friday night, how do you feel about hitting up breadstix? I haven't been there in so long" Blaine hums and watches as Kurt stares up at him in what appears to be shock. Then he smiles.

"Sounds like a plan"

And a plan it is.

* * *

_**thank you for reading :) Blaine has now met Kurt! Next up is the Substitute :D I will be posting either on the weekend or next Monday!**_


	3. Chapter 3 - The Substitute

**Chapter Three**

_**The Substitute**_

"So, tell me, do you actually wear anything but the blazer?"

Blaine smiles at Kurt's question as he takes another bite of the cheesecake Kurt had insisted they order at Breadstix, even though they had just devoured an entire bowl of gnocchi each.

"Of course. I'm just yet to grace you with my presence on a weekend" Blaine hums and sets down his fork and Kurt smiles at him, eating some more of his cheesecake.

Overall, their dinner had been a complete success. They had spoken about far too many things to count, and Blaine had learnt that Kurt had an even more impressive knowledge of Broadway than himself. As they ate, Blaine found himself rather happy that he had found someone like Kurt. They got along like a house on fire, and so instantly as well. Yes, he was great friends with Wes and David and quite a few of the Warblers, and he had some friends in other classes, but he really did miss being able to ease into conversation so quickly, and not have to worry about what he said. Wes and David were wonderful, so accepting and they had taken Blaine under their wings the minute he started at Dalton, and Blaine would forever appreciate how they included him in everything they did; football games, movie nights, gym workouts even. But sometimes Blaine missed being able to talk about the latest episode of project runway which he secretly watched under the covers on his phone when his roommate was sleeping, or being able to discuss the latest Broadway musical in more detail than just how amazing the vocals and choreography were. Yes, there were other gay kids at Dalton, but Blaine just hadn't managed to connect with they as quickly as he had with Kurt. He hadn't been this happy to make a new friend since the day he'd met James.

"Well we might just have to change that. There is this little marketplace opening up on Saturday, just passed the mall. It's supposed to be totally vintage, and I think I could manage to get my hands on some really good quality accessories for my upcoming wardrobe makeover" Kurt's eyes gleam happily as he talks and Blaine can't help but chuckle.

"Wardrobe makeover?" he muses and folds his arms across his chest. "Is that a thing?"

"Of course it is! It's where you go through every article of clothing you own and try it on. If it doesn't fit, you cry and see if you can tailor it or make it into something new. You go through and decide on new outfits for the upcoming month. And if you have less than 12, you get to go shopping"

Blaine listens to Kurt and he laughs softly, shaking his head as he reaches for his glass, sipping on his soda as a frown comes over Kurt's face.

"What?" he asks and Blaine smiles.

"Nothing. You're just so…"

"Gay?"

"I was going to go with creative and adorable, but sure" Blaine smiles, his eyes crinkling just a little at the sides. Kurt's cheeks go a little pink and he sips his soda quickly as Blaine looks down at his empty plate.

"The market sounds good. I'll definitely be there" he hums and takes a napkin off the table, wiping his lips with one swift movement before he stands and takes out his wallet.

"Ready?"

Kurt nods in response and stands too, reaching into his bag to pull out his own wallet.

"Oh no. You put that away Mr Hummel" Blaine chuckles and opens up the bill, setting a few notes inside. He likes to tip generously, and even though his father often lectures him about how over tipping isn't something he should form a habit out of, he does it anyway. Kurt's eyes widen as Blaine closes the bill and slips his wallet back into his pocket.

"You can't pay for all of it Blaine"

Blaine pulls his bag over his shoulder and looks at Kurt.

"Why not?" he asks and Kurt stands there, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Because I ate half of the food. I should pay half…"

"Kurt, it's fine. Trust me" Blaine smiles and reaches out, giving Kurt's arm a small squeeze.

"But…"

"You can buy the next lot of coffee we have. Okay?" the boy hums and receives a small nod from Kurt. Blaine smiles and the pair leave the restaurant, Kurt going back to talking about his wardrobe. They've spoken on the phone a few times since Blaine came to McKinley to talk to Karofsky, and they've texted each other constantly every day. Oddly enough, they do not talk about glee club. It seems to be some unspoken rule that- since they are competitors after all-, they would simply stick to the 'getting to know you' subjects instead.

"Thank you for tonight. It was nice to hang out" Kurt smiles as Blaine pulls up alongside his house, smiling at the boy.

"You are most welcome. So… I'll come pick you up tomorrow for the markets?" He asks as Kurt fiddles through his bag for his house keys.

"Sure… unless you want to just meet me there? I know it's a bit of a drive for you…"

"I'm staying at my parents tonight" Blaine responds simply.

"Oh. Well okay. I'll see you at… 10?" Kurt asks and Blaine nods.

"10"

The boy smiles and waves him goodbye before he hurries to his front door. Blaine watches as the door opens and a taller boy stands there, seeming to immediately start to grill Kurt on where he's been. Kurt shoves passed him and gives Blaine another wave before the door closes_. Ah, that must be Finn_. Blaine starts his drive home, turning the radio up as he goes. He sings along to whatever is on the radio and smiles to himself. He hasn't been home in a while, maybe his parents won't even be there. His mother sell's beauty products and is constantly out on little trips with her team, and his father is a highly respected surgeon, so when he isn't in the theatre, he's off on conferences. Cooper had left permanently the minute Blaine transferred to Dalton.  
Perhaps that was a part of the reason Blaine loved Dalton so much, he was never really alone there.

He pulls into the large driveway and parks the car. The garage is closed. He gets out and heads to the front door, knocking twice. There's a light on inside, so someone must be home.

"Just a second!"

Blaine smiles a little he hears his mother's voice and her figure comes hurrying to the door. She opens it and her smile widens.

"Blaine!"

Blaine laughs softly as he is pulled into a tight embrace, being coated in the smell of whatever new scent his mother has been given to sample, her loose dress feeling lovely and soft against his arms.

"Hey mum. I'm home for the night." He says when he is released. Pam Anderson smiles at her son and looks him up and down.

"Have you eaten? Your father and I just finished up but we can make something for you…"

"No it's okay. I had dinner with a friend. Dad's home?" Blaine asks as he's led inside, his mother fussing over his uniform as they walk.

"He is. Shocking, I know. But his conference in Chicago was cancelled." Pam tells him as she takes his bag and sets in down in the hall. "Daniel!" she calls and Blaine sighs softly as he gives his childhood home a quick look. It's still so big, even though he's grown up. The ceiling is too high and the halls are too long, and of course the art is so very bold that it almost hurts Blaine's eyes to look at it. From the other end of the hall, two large oak double doors open, and a man stands there. He is of a medium height, his salt and pepper hair a wild array of curls. He looks at Blaine and gives him a small smile.

"Didn't think we deserved a call hey, son?"

At his words Blaine immediately wants to turn around and drive the two hours back up to Dalton.

"I didn't think…"

"He doesn't need to call Daniel. This is his home" Pam states as if it is the simplest thing in the world, her hand squeezing her son's shoulder. Daniel Anderson simply nods his head and walks down the hall. He stops in front of Blaine and gives him a brief hug.

"It's good to see you again Blaine. Tell me, how's school going?" He asks as leads Blaine into the living room. Blaine takes a seat on the couch, sitting at the very end as his father sits down in his single armchair. He's not too sure where his mother has gone.

"Good. I got my French assessment result back the other day and I got an A. And um… my history marks are still good…"

"Blaine. How is the school treating you?"

Oh.

_He wants to know if they're being nice to you._

"They're great. Honestly. Everyone is… wonderful. The Warblers are the best… we're competing soon, actually. At sectionals. I did send you an email…"

"I received it. I'm in Florida that day. Your mother might be able to attend. Though, I am wondering why this show choir is the only event I'm receiving emails about."

Blaine frowns slightly as his father looks at him with an unreadable expression.

"I don't quite know what you mean…"

"What happened to fencing? You were fantastic Blaine and you have the trophies to prove it. And your mathletes…"

"Dad, the mathletes were getting in the way of my study time and… fencing was too much. I want to do something I like…"

"You didn't like fencing?"

Blaine lets out a small sigh and catches his father give him a small glare. He straightens up in his chair and flattens out his uniform.

"I want to study music. Or the performing arts. Something along those lines and in order to get a head start I need to be in glee club. I'm good, Dad, well… I'm a sophomore and I'm the lead vocalist so…" He blushes just a little and his father nods.

"We know how talented you are Blaine, and I trust your decisions. As long as your grades don't drop… you do what you feel you must"

His father gives him a rare smile before he picks up the paper and slips his glasses onto his nose. Blaine takes this as his cue to leave. He heads up to the room he has not slept in for a long while, falling into the bed with a small sigh. He misses his home. He misses his parents and he misses Cooper. He starts to plot an outfit for the morning in his head, deciding that he needs to make sure Kurt knows that he too has a sense of fashion.

* * *

"I have to admit; you are the best shopping buddy I've had in a while" Kurt hums as he carries his arm load of bags to Blaine's car, the other boy smiling happily as he carries the rest and just a few of his own. They'd only spent two hours at the markets and had come away with an entire new wardrobe for Kurt and a few little things for Blaine. Blaine had been so thrilled that Kurt seemed to approve of his fashion – he had put on some black skinny jeans with a white polo, grey cardigan with a nice red lining and a little red bowtie to match- and had genuinely enjoyed watching the other boy shop and piece together outfits like it was second nature.

"Well thank you. I would have thought Mercedes would have been your go-to companion for today" Blaine smiles as he unlocks his car, setting the bags in the back seat. Kurt does the same and shakes his head.

"Usually yes, but not today. I figured that me and you could do something together." He shrugs his shoulders and smiles as Blaine moves to open the passenger door for him. Blaine is glad that Kurt asked him to come out today. He'd needed a nice distraction from his school work, and his parents had decided they were going to drive to Columbus to visit some friends for the day and Blaine really didn't feel like being left home alone in his large house all day.

"Well it was a nice plan. Did you want to do something on Wednesday? I finish up classes early, we could grab a coffee or something?" Blaine asks as Kurt thanks him for opening his door, sliding into the seat.

"Yeah, yeah that sounds really nice" Kurt smiles at him and Blaine grins as he moves to the driver's side. It did sound nice.

And nice it was.

Their Wednesday afternoon was spent discussing the various new reality TV shows that had sprung to air over the past few months as well as discussing how the new substitute Kurt had convinced to take over glee club was doing. Blaine booked them tickets to see Rent at the community playhouse for Friday, and Kurt was absolutely over the moon. They went and ate popcorn and sung along quietly under their breaths. They laughed the entire way back to Kurt's house where Blaine had been the perfect gentlemen and walked him up to his door. He'd squeezed the boy's hand and told him he'd had a wonderful time and that they should have dinner on Monday night.

"Monday sounds… great. Except I've blown Mercedes off twice now and I think if a third time occurs, I'll be on the lookout for a new best friend."

"So, bring her along. I'd love to meet her."

So that's exactly what Kurt did.

Monday night found him and Blaine seated together in a booth at Breadstix with Mercedes opposite them, having just finished up their lovely pasta meals.

"So, I don't understand why it has to be a thing" Blaine sighs as he sips his drink through his straw, Kurt nodding his head in agreement.

"I know. It's not like us getting married is really effecting heterosexual marriages…"

"Ah but you forget, Kurt, it's an 'insult to marriage'" Blaine scoffs as he watches the boy beside him. They'd been deep in conversation for about half an hour now, Mercedes having tuned out a few minutes ago. Blaine figured she was simply contemplating what to order for dessert. Blaine is feeling like he's won the friendship lottery at the moment. He's never really been able to have these discussions with anyone before, and it's not because they don't care about the same issues that he does, they just don't fully understand his view point like Kurt does.

"Drunk people who get married to someone that they met an hour ago by an Elvis impersonator…I mean, that's the bigger insult to marriage than two gay guys getting hitched." Kurt says and Blaine nods enthusiastically.

"Totally. It's, like, if marriage is so sacred, they should just outlaw divorce. Right?" Blaine hums and glances across the table to Mercedes, who looks like she is actually worlds away.

"Right. Right." Kurt hums and follows Blaine's gaze over to his friends.

"What do you think, Mercedes?" Blaine asks politely and watches as he girls blinks and her eyes focus back in again on the two boys sitting across from her.

"Oh, about, uh, "don't ask, don't tell"?" The girl asks, and Blaine smiles softly at her. So, she really had been out of it. He doesn't really blame her though, he and Kurt had been very engaged in a topic she wasn't too familiar with.

"No, we're on prop 8 now." Kurt tells her and Mercedes nods.

"Totally for it."

"Against it."

"Right. I'm sorry, I kind of just blanked out." Mercedes sighs and Blaine smiles at her, shaking his head.

"Oh, don't apologize… we should talk about stuff that you're interested in too." He smiles and Mercedes sits up a little in interest.

"I know… let's play a game." Kurt grins and shuffles a little in his seat as Blaine gives Mercedes another smile before turning back to look at the boy.

"Okay, on the count of three, name your favourite 2010 vogue cover. Okay, ready? One, two, three…"

"Marion Cotillard."

The words escape Blaine's lips the same time as they do Kurt's and they both chuckle softly.

"Yes!"

"Oh, my God, stop it! Yes, I know. She's amazing!" Blaine grins and Kurt laughs in agreement as Mercedes remains silent.

"Amazing!"

"Amazing!"

Blaine sighs happily and takes another sip of his drink. "I might get back to Dalton in time to catch the end of the Buckeyes game if I'm lucky" he hums and Kurt looks at him.

"The Buckeyes?" he muses and Blaine goes to answer and looks over at Mercedes, who has once again zoned out of the conversation. Blaine gives Kurt a small tap on the shoulder and the boy looks across to his friend and sighs.

"Mercedes? Mercedes?" He calls and the girl's eyes refocus on them with a small apologetic expression appearing on her features.

"I was just talking about the Buckeyes… I'm a college football fan. I like sports, too, you know." Blaine tells her with a happy smile and Kurt chuckles.

"Oh, way to break the stereotype." He raises his hand and the pair high five as the waitress who's been serving them all night walks passed and Mercedes is quick to grab her attention.

"Excuse me. I know it's not on your menu, but I was wondering if you guys had…"

"You want some tots? You kids must go to McKinley." The waitress smiles and nods at the girl as Blaine gives Kurt a small glance.

"They banned tots at school… it's a long story" he whispers and Blaine goes back to sipping his drink as Mercedes seems to lighten up a little.

"So, what were we talking about?" she asks with a happy edge to her voice and Blaine looks to Kurt happily as the boy starts to speak.

"Has anyone read Patti Lupone's new book?"

Blaine looks to Mercedes with an awkward expression and Mercedes shrugs her shoulders in response.

"I'm kidding. Of course, I have." Blaine grins and looks to Kurt who is practically laughing by now.

"You scared me so much there."

"I know, I was aiming to do just that" he hums and looks to Mercedes.

"Not a fan of Patti Lupone?" He asks and the girls sighs.

"I prefer Aretha…" She sighs and Blaine grins.

"I love her. And yet I am never allowed to sing her songs for glee club. Apparently, my manly tones won't do her justice" he chuckles and feels Kurt shuffle a little closer to him, their legs now pressed together under the table. Mercedes gives out a soft sound that Blaine thinks is a laugh, and he feels a little bit better about the night. Meeting Mercedes had been fine. She was nice and Blaine was, of course, the perfect gentlemen, but he could tell that the girl was jealous of just how well he and Kurt got on. And Blaine never wanted to be someone who broke up a friendship.

"Kurt said you were the lead vocalist in your glee club. Do people… like you there? In our glee club it's a death match for solo's" Mercedes tells him and Blaine glances to Kurt, who nibbles on his lower lip in response. They pair have made a point out of not discussing each other's respective glee clubs, at least until competition season was over.

"I won't go into much detail because we are competitors… but we have certain ways and we all accept each other. We're fair and we acknowledge everyone's talent. We're acapella so everyone is equally important in all songs." Blaine shrugs and Mercedes blinks.

"That sounds far too peaceful" she hums and Blaine chuckles.

"Perhaps it is"

A small silence falls over them and Blaine checks his phone as Mercedes tots arrive, the girls face lighting up.

"I might head off. Long drive ahead of me" Blaine smiles and Kurt stands, letting the boy out.

"Do you want me to walk you to your car?" He asks softly and Blaine shakes his head, although he wants to say yes.

"Thank you but I'll be fine. You stay here and enjoy the tots" he smiles and squeezes the boys arm softly. "I'll call you tomorrow. Mercedes, it was lovely to meet you" he hums, and Mercedes looks up from her tots and nods.

"You too"

Blaine smiles and adjusts his uniform, giving Kurt one last smile before he leaves. It was nice to meet one of Kurt's friends, and even though she was a little awkward around him, he was sure he'd made a good impression. He gets into his car and turns on the radio, taking off his tie and his blazer before he starts the long drive back to Dalton. He was starting to love driving down to Lima to see Kurt, and he never thought of it as a task. It was something new, and Blaine loved new things.

Once he's back at Dalton he looks at his phone and finds a text from Kurt.

**/Thank you for tonight. Despite her horrid social skills tonight, Mercedes really likes you. And don't worry, I've assured her at least 15 times that we are NOT dating -K/  
**  
Blaine chuckles to himself as he walks down the dimly lit hallways towards his dorm room. It was only natural for Mercedes to think they were dating, right? They did call each other every night and they hadn't exactly been shy when it came to hugging and light touching in public, but Kurt was just his friend. His new and very gay friend. Blaine shakes the thought from his head as he replies.

**/Let her think what she thinks. I'm just glad to have made a friend like you. Have a good night Kurt x -B**

Blaine sends his message and freezes when a hand rests on his shoulder.

"You were gone a while. I thought we were going to watch the game together"

Blaine chuckles and turns to face Wes, who's standing behind him in sweatpants and a Dalton hoodie, a bowl of chips in his hand.

"We can watch the end right?" Blaine smiles as the pair start to head down to Blaine's dorm.

"We can. But I guarantee we're going to be interrupted by Simon, who'll want to know all about your little date with Kurt" Wes chuckles and watches as Blaine rolls his eyes fondly, folding his blazer over his arm.

"First of all, you know that it wasn't a date. And Simon wouldn't care either way…"

"Oh please, Simon thinks every meeting you have with a guy who isn't him, is a date. You shouldn't have ended it, Blaine. You know he still tells everyone that you guys are on a break, right?" Wes muses as Blaine stops outside his door, the sound of the TV blaring the game coming through to them. Blaine runs a hand through his hair and sighs. Simon is a junior who Blaine had briefly dated for a month at the beginning of the year. Blaine wasn't very good at being a 'boyfriend' to someone, he'd never done it before he was a little unsure of how things happened. Simon told him he wasn't romantic enough and that he needed to be more involved if they were to pursue a serious relationship together. In order to amend the issue, Blaine had gone completely overboard in Simon's opinion and had filled his bed with roses, which the boy happened to have a strong allergic reaction to. Needless to say, Blaine decided to end things before he did anything else stupid. Why Simon was still interested in him, he wasn't sure.

"We aren't. We're broken up, if you can even say there was anything there to break from, and he can deal with the fact that Kurt is a friend, a good friend who I like spending time with"

Wes chuckles and pats Blaine on the shoulder as they head inside. The rest of the night Blaine spends on his bed with his friend, trying his hardest not to think about the fact that the majority of his friends think he is dating Kurt. Dating Kurt is not an option. If anything, Blaine is being a mentor to the boy, and he is perfectly fine with that.

Perfectly damn fine.

* * *

_**Thank you all for reading :)**_

_**Introduction to Blaine's parents here. I always thought that Blaine's Dad was a busy man, so I gave him the profession of a surgeon. It would also explain Blaine's little melt down in season 5 about becoming a doctor (hehe). I didn't want to go down the avenue of him having a homophobic father, because I don't think that is the case, but you will see their relationship as more chapters come out. Please let me know what you think so far!**_


	4. Chapter 4 - Furt

_**Thank you all so much for the support on this story :) I really hope I am doing our boys justice! Please let me know what you would like to see - especially down the road for our boys :)**_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_**Furt**_

It's been an entire month since Blaine met Kurt on the staircase at Dalton, and he can't help but feel like that day was fate. He's somehow managed to score a wonderful friend, and in turn he's become somewhat of a mentor to Kurt. They have two coffee dates a week and they never fail to make the boys' day just a little bit brighter. And that is where Blaine finds himself now, sitting down at one of the back tables in the Lima Bean, smiling across at Kurt, who looks like he's ready to burst with excitement.

"Today was just fantastic" the boy breathes, and Blaine sips his coffee, chuckling as he sets the cup down.

"You've been grinning from ear to ear since we got here Kurt. Are you actually going to tell me what's making you all jittery with excitement or am I going to have to pry it out of you?" he muses and raises a brow at the boy, who sighs happily and toys with his cup for a moment before he looks up at him again, eyes still just as bright.

"Okay, okay. So… my Dad is getting married! He proposed to Carole this morning!" Kurt rocks a little in his chair and beams and Blaine can't help but throw a smile right back at him. No, he hasn't actually met Burt or Carole, but Kurt speaks about them so often that the happiness Blaine feels for the news of the couple is genuine. It had been 3 weeks into their friendship that Blaine had asked about Kurt's family, and he'd discovered that the boy's mother had died when Kurt was only 8 years old. He'd been told about Finn and his lovely mother Carole, and about how Burt and her had started dating and they lived together and whilst Kurt liked having Finn around because he felt like he finally had a sibling, he also didn't enjoy hearing him and Rachel make out all the time.

"That's great Kurt. Congrats to them" Blaine holds his coffee cup up in a toast and Kurt giggles, pressing his cup to Blaine's.

"It's so great. I don't think Finn is as over the moon about the whole thing as I am…"

"Understandable. He isn't used to a father figure, and whilst you say he and Burt are close, this is a big step for him. It's only ever been him and his mum. This is permanent change has to get used to" Blaine says casually and takes another swig from his cup. Kurt looks at him in something that closely resembles awe and it makes Blaine feel just a little bit proud.

"You're right. Of course" Kurt smiles and looks at the boy for a moment.

"I would invite you to come along as my date…"

"But I haven't met your Dad or Carole, and we've only been friends for a month. It's completely understandable" Blaine hums and sets his coffee down. "Don't feel bad about it. And as long as you fill me in on the details, I'll be totally fine" He smiles and Kurt gives him a small nod, glancing down at his phone.

"I'm planning the whole event, naturally. And the glee club are going to be singing. I have so much to do and I'm going to have to teach my Dad to dance and Finn which may prove to be the hardest task I'm yet to face."

"But you're determined to succeed?" Blaine muses and Kurt rolls his eyes fondly.

"I love a man who can quote musicals to me" he breaths and Blaine fixes the sleeves of his blazer.

"Well you're in luck, because I know plenty."

"Of men or musicals?" Kurt raises a delicate brow and Blaine grins. They often joke around like this, and Blaine can't deny that he likes it. There's just something about how relaxed in nature the whole thing is, and Kurt seems to slip into these conversations with ease.

"Well both" Blaine chuckles and Kurt lets his teeth bite down on his bottom lip for a moment before his phone buzzes.

"It's my Dad. I should probably be going…"

"I will call you," Blaine smiles, "You can vent to me about all of your wonderful wedding ideas". He hums and watches as Kurt rises from the table and gives him a little wave before he exists. Blaine smiles and finishes off his coffee before he rises himself, grabs his bag and heads towards his car. He wonders what a wedding planned by Kurt Hummel would be like. He knows just how fancy Kurt can be with detail, he's been shopping with the boy a handful of times by now, and he often receives messages from him that contain images of décor designs he wants to put in his future home. His phone starts to ring in his pocket, and he answers it.

"Hello?"

"Blaine! Simon here. I'm at the Gap and I'm in desperate need of your dapper fashion sense. Come help me out?"

Simon sounds like he's pouting, and Blaine chuckles a little as he climbs into his car. He and Simon are on casual speaking terms, and oddly enough Blaine doesn't find it awkward. Surely hanging out with someone you sort of used to date should be a little awkward, but maybe this just shows that he's moved on from Simon. He's grown.

"I'll be there soon. Don't buy anything until I get there" Blaine smiles and hangs up the phone. He had told Wes that he'd run over a few numbers for sections with the Warblers later on, so he'd probably have to be quick. The Warblers were practicing for sectionals nearly every night now, and it was becoming harder to think of excuses to leave and call Kurt. Thad had called him out on being distracted one too many times, and he'd even interrogated Blaine for a whole ten minutes until David had called order and brought them back to rehearsing. Apparently, a few of the Warblers thought that Blaine should be focusing more of his time of practice than on his new friend. And maybe they were right.

"So, you're telling me that- despite the fact that you've been calling him every day and you see him at least twice a week- you're not dating?"

Simon looks at Blaine with large, unconvinced green eyes and Blaine gives a simple nod as he fishes through the shirt rack, pulling a few dress shirts out every now and then to glance at.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you"

"But why?" Simon asks and stops looking through scarves, folding his arms across his uniformed chest. He stares at Blaine in curiosity and Blaine gives him the once over before he sighs.

"Because… I've known Kurt for a month. And we get along so well… and I really care about him. He's been through a lot and I doubt that he'd be ready for a relationship right now, and I… I don't want to ruin what we've made. He needs someone to…to stand by him and perhaps someone to look up to. Besides- as lovely as Kurt is- I'm not exactly leaning towards him on the… um… romantic feelings scale" Blaine sighs and Simon follows his gaze to where a young man stands with a head of hair that can only be described as a white boy fro. He's folding sweaters and he has a bored look on his face. Blaine thinks he looks kind of cute.

"Him?" Simon asks and Blaine blinks, returning his attention to the red-haired boy beside him.

"Sorry?"

"Mr crazy hair folding sweaters? You have feelings for him?" He asks and Blaine chuckles and shakes his head.

"No, Simon. I don't know who he is. I don't really have feelings for anyone at the moment… I'm focusing on competition season and my grades…"

"You don't still have feelings for me?" Simon asks, and Blaine takes one look at his face and he knows the boy is hurt. Yes, they had only seen each other for a short while, but apparently Simon still liked to hold onto the fact that- at one stage- Blaine had been entirely focused on him.

"Simon…"

"Because I do. Have feelings for you that is. And… We've been so good these past few weeks Blaine, and I really think that we could give it another go..."

"Simon…"

"I know I told you that your romance was lacking and then you did sort of almost kill me with those roses, but I see now that the thought behind it was so very touching, and honestly… seeing you so happy and bright about this Kurt guy… it's making me really jealous"

"But we aren't even together, he's just a friend…" Blaine begins and Simon cuts him off, putting a finger to the boy's lips, causing Blaine's eyes to widen in shock.

"Blaine. I'm telling you that I want to be… us… again" He breathes and grabs Blaine by his lapels, pulling him forward into a hard kiss. Blaine's eyes fly open even wider as their mouths connect and he feels extremely queasy. His stomach instantly starts to tighten, and his palms start to sweat. He pulls back from the kiss, his lips parted, eyes completely wide in what Simon assumes is shock, until Blaine is quickly looking around the large store they're standing in, pale and shaking.

"Oh… oh shit…" Simon breathes and Blaine takes a step back with his hands raised up in front of him to stop Simon from getting any closer to him, swallowing hard as he tries to keep his composure. It's getting harder and harder to breathe and he feels like everything is closing in on his so quickly. He loosens his tie and tries to focus on what Simon is babbling, but it's hard to do. He can hear his blood pulsing in his ears and he feels sick.

_I need to throw up._

"I'm sorry Blaine, I forgot… I forgot you don't do PDA…"

"PDA?" Blaine almost spits the words out and looks at him. "Simon -I can deal with PDA! What I can't deal with it being forcefully kissed in a public place where anyone could see and anyone c-could… I-I have to go" Blaine shakes his head and doesn't even wait for Simon's response before he's running out of the store, not stopping until he's at his car. He leans against it and closes his eyes, breathing in the fresh air. He's okay. He's safe. The cold metal against his back seems to calm him slowly.

_I'm safe.  
_  
He'd been getting better. He'd been having less panic attacks and he was able to sing love songs in glee now where he could actually make eye contact with another boy whilst doing so.

"You are out, and you are proud, and you have nothing to fear" Blaine tells himself as he remains leant against his car, his hands pulling off his tie with shaking fingers.

"You have nothing to fear. They aren't here. They aren't going to hurt you"

He takes a few more moments to calm down, slowly he stops shaking and he is able to get into his car. He swallows down the lump that had formed in his throat and runs a hand through his hair. He's okay. He'll be okay.

"He threatened to kill me."

Those words remain in Blaine's head the moment Kurt whispers them through the phone. Blaine had been sitting in his dorm room whilst his roommate went out for lacrosse practice, just going over some notes for his history text the next day when his phone had lit up beside him with Kurt's name on the screen.

"He what?" Blaine breathes and drops his book down onto his lap, staring at nothing as his expression turns into a deep frown.

"He… I don't even know where it came from…"

"He threatened to… and… did you tell someone? A teacher? The principal?" Blaine asks and he hears a soft sigh on the other end, and he knows the answer before Kurt even speaks.

"No"

"Kurt… why not?" he breathes, and he stands up, searching for his hoodie and his shoes as Kurt's voice continues to speak softly through the speakers on his phone.

"Because… He said if I told anyone he'd kill me. I'm not about to announce that to the world. I have a wedding to plan…"

"Nothing should come above your safety Kurt. God… I'm coming down there. I'm gonna talk to him…"

"Blaine he won't listen…"

"Then I'll make him listen!"

"Blaine… he said this weeks ago. Now he's just terrifying me…"

"Wait- you didn't tell me? Why?" Blaine asks, almost hurt by the notion that Kurt didn't rely on him with such drastic information. He sits back down on his bed and lets his hands run nervously through his hair. What if Kurt gets seriously hurt? What if Blaine could stop it?

"Because I didn't want you to overreact, sort of like you are now. Blaine-I told you now because I needed to get it off my chest. I'm not asking you to come down here like my knight in shining armour and fight him. I'm confiding in you as a friend, a relatively sane minded friend." Kurt sighs and Blaine swallows hard against the angry lump rising in his throat.

"I just want you to be okay."

"And I will be. I just…today was hard. Mr Schue saw how scared I was, so they know that he's been harassing me. There just isn't anything they can do unless he physically hurts me."

"He kissed you Kurt."

A silence hangs in the air for a few moments before Kurt finally speaks.

"I'm not going to be responsible for outing someone. No matter how much he scares me."

Blaine lets a small smile form on his lips, and he looks over at his window. It's getting dusky outside and he can see the fireflies starting to shine a little.

"You're honestly so… you're something else Kurt. I admire you for that"

Kurt chuckles a little on his end and Blaine lays back down on his bed, pushing his history book aside with his big toe.

"So… are you going to be okay?"

"Yes. I think so."

A knock sounds on Blaine's door and he leans his head up as David pokes his head around with a smile.

"Ready for another round of practice?" he asks and Blaine nods, pointing to his phone as he sits up fully, David giving him the thumbs up before he closes the door again.

"I'm glad. Look, I have to go, but if you need anything you call me. Okay?"

"Okay"

"Courage, Kurt"

Blaine spends the next week entirely focused on his schoolwork. He gets the odd few texts from Kurt telling him how the wedding planning is going, but he doesn't call. Blaine keeps fairly to himself, only seeing people during practice. He needs to be more focused and he'd taken his father's advice and delved into everything headfirst. He doesn't speak to Simon much, deciding it best that they not get too friendly again. He spends a lot of his time in the library, and he has to admit that he's rather proud of his own efforts. He gets some pictures of the wedding from Kurt, the bridesmaids in their dresses and the boys in their suits (all carefully picked out by Kurt, of course) and he feels a sense of relief when the boy calls him on a Monday morning before school starts.

"Hey Kurt. How are you?" Blaine asks as he adjusts his tie in the mirror, throwing his bag over his shoulder as he leaves the bathroom and heads towards the door.

"I'm… surprisingly good. I have some good news and some bad news. I'll start with the bad" the boy hums and a small frown sets on Blaine's face as he walks down the corridors of his dormitory block, nodding his head a few of his fellow classmates who greet him.

"Okay? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Remember how I texted you and told you that Karofsky got expelled?"

"Yes…"

"He's back at school. The board appealed to his side of the story and… decided that he didn't deserve expulsion."

Blaine sighs and shakes his head. _Of course._

"That's absurd."

"I know. It is… now… I'll tell you to good news after. Are you heading to class? School's starting soon…"

"Yeah… I have history first. Are you? I mean… I wouldn't blame you if you took the day off" Blaine tells him as he hurries down the hall, towards the staircase.

"Yeah I'm going to class… oh I have to go"

Kurt hangs up suddenly and Blaine frowns, glancing at his phone before he stows it away in his blazer pocket and follows the sea of students down the winding stairs.

"Excuse me"

A familiar voice sounds in Blaine's ear and he turns around, bumping into a few students as he looks up the stairs, a smile breaking out onto his lips. Kurt stands there, clad in full Dalton uniform this time, his hands clutching at his bag, phone in his hand.

"I'm new here… I could really use a hand in finding my first class" He hums the words, and Blaine doesn't even reply before he walks up the stairs and envelopes Kurt in a tight hug. The boy hugs him back and Blaine feels a small sense of relief wash over him because his friend is safe.

"This is what you want?" He asks when he pulls away, fixing the boys tie for him. Kurt smiles and nods.

"It is. And I need it. A fresh start at a place that will accept me" he hums and looks Blaine up and down.

"I was serious by the way… I have no idea where AP English is" he hums and Blaine smiles at the boy.

"I'll lead the way"

* * *

**_Wooh! Our boys are in the same school! Next chapter should hopefully be posted on the weekend - we will see how we go :) As usual, your reviews mean a lot to me as it helps me to tweak the story and add in scenes we all wish we could see!_**


	5. Chapter 5 - Special Education

**Chapter Five**

_**Special Education**_

"Thad, head count" Wes hums as Blaine takes a seat amongst his fellow Warblers. He's fiddling a little with his cuffs, looking down at his phone quickly before he stows it away and Thad starts listing off people's names, all of them responding in a different pitch. When Blaine's name is called and sings it back deeply and earns himself a high five from Jeff. He can't help but feel a little nervous. Today is the day that Kurt is able to join his Warbler brothers, and he's genuinely excited. He and Kurt are pretty close friends and having another friend to sing and dance with during glee club never hurt anyone. Kurt had also decided to be extremely secretive about his singing voice, refusing to sing along with Blaine in the car whenever a Katy Perry song blasted through the speakers. Blaine, of course, respected this decision. They had been rivals at the time, but now Kurt was one of them, one of the team, and he was extremely eager to hear the boy's voice in action. The council had decided against having Kurt audition. Apparently, Wes had gotten his hands on a video of them performing a 'funky number' and had stated that he thought Kurt would make a wonderful addition to their baritone's. Blaine had of course deemed this ridiculous. Based on Kurt's naturally high speaking voice, he figured Wes was simply trying to wind them up.

"All accounted for" Thad nods and sets his papers down, Blaine receiving a small nod from Wes. The boy gets to his feet and walks over to the main doors, smiling as he opens them.

"And now let's welcome the newest addition to the Warblers, Kurt Hummel." Wes calls and the Warblers all start to applaud as Kurt walks into the room. Blaine claps along with the rest and gives Kurt a smile as the boy looks around, clearly just a little overwhelmed. Blaine remembers the feeling all too well. It had only been a year ago that he had been in Kurt's shoes, meeting his brothers for the first time, starting from the bottom with a new family to guide him.

"And our oldest tradition for our newest Warbler… an actual Warbler" Wes hums and Blaine carefully picks up the small cage that had been in the centre of the room, smiling at the little yellow bird that tweets softly inside.

"Kurt, meet Pavarotti" He grins and looks at the little bird. "So long for now little buddy" he whispers and walks over to Kurt, handing him the cage as Wes speaks, chuckling softly at the stunned look on Kurt's face.

"This bird is a member of an unbroken line of canaries who have been at Dalton since 1891. It's your job to take of him so he can live to carry on the Warbler legacy. Protect him, that bird is your voice."

Blaine smiles as he watches Kurt interact with the bird. Pavarotti had been his for a short time, and he feels somewhat grateful that Kurt is the one to whom he passes the bird on to.

"Hey, I'll bring him to work with me. Weekends I volunteer at a stray cat rescue. It's at the bottom of a coal mine." Kurt chuckles and looks around the room at the sea of blank faces. Blaine smiles to himself and shakes his head as the Warblers sit in a stunned silence.

"That was a joke, I-I don't work at a coal mine…" Kurt is interrupted by the banging of Wes's gavel, which reminds Blaine instantly to attempt to hide it again once the meeting was over. The last time had resulted in a hilarious breakdown with Wes interrogating nearly every Warbler about its whereabouts. Blaine had very nearly been denied a solo because of it too, but the look on the older boy's face had definitely been worth it.

"Let the council come to order. Today we discuss the set list for Sectionals…" Wes begins as Kurt raises his hand and shakes his fingers a little.

"Council?" he muses, and Blaine shuffles a little on the end of the couch he's currently perched on.

"We don't have a director. Every year we elect three upperclassmen to lead the group. But don't worry, we all get a say." He reassures Kurt, realising that this is the first time Kurt is hearing about the Warblers structure, and from what he's heard of the New Directions and a lot of the other show choirs in the region, the Warbler way of doing this was a little unique.

"Oh fantastic! I have a lot of ideas. Warblers, if I may?" Kurt looks around the room and Blaine raises his eyebrows just a little, finding himself intrigued as to what Kurt might suggest. "Now I can't deny that the Warblers vocals are absolutely dreamy, but I believe our set for Sectionals this year should have a little more showbiz panache. I think we should open with Rio by Duran Duran" Kurt's voice is so full of energy and courage that it makes Blaine's heart break just a little to see the smile fade from Kurt's face when he is told that the Warblers are not responsible for song selection. Blaine catches the boy's eye and gives him a soft smile, motioning his head towards the seat on the sofa beside him.

"Now, I propose we do our entire set at sectionals in eight-part harmony…" Wes begins the topic of the day as Kurt gathers up his things and the bird cage and makes his way over to Blaine, taking a seat beside him.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly before his name is called and he looks up.

"Yes?"

"Your opinion?" David hums and Blaine blinks.

"My opinion…."

"On opening with Hey Soul Sister by Train and doing it in eight-part harmony?" Thad asks and Blaine simply nods.

"Sounds like a plan" he smiles and looks back to Kurt, who is now focusing his attention on Pavarotti, who's hopping around the bottom of his cage happily. Blaine sighs and turns back to the discussion the council are now having on what song they should follow up with. They eventually decide to decide later, and after going through a quick rundown of how they will be getting to sectionals (Thad convinced the Dean to hire a fancier bus that came with a mini fridge), Wes bangs down his gavel and the Warblers all start to depart.

"Blaine! A word!" David calls and Blaine rises to his feet, moving over the council desk.

"We were thinking… we want to open up the second song to someone new…"

"It's no disrespect to you…"

"Of course not" Blaine cuts Thad off with a raise of his hand and he lets a smile form on his lips. "I'm so grateful that you let me lead you in all these wonderful songs all the time, but yes… it is time we let someone new have their moment to shine. Are we going random draw or someone who shows commitment and a solid attitude?" He asks and Wes nods as he puts his papers away.

"A good attitude. We've written a small list. We all agree on Jeff and Nick as the two who should audition" He states, and Blaine bites his bottom lip for a moment before he decides to voice his thoughts.

"I'd like to add Kurt to that list."

"Blaine…"

"He's shown a good attitude about his idea's being shot down so quickly. He's new… he needs a chance to prove himself. David pushed for me to have a chance and look how that turned out" Blaine speaks in a business manner and Wes sighs before he nods.

"Okay. Jeff, Nick and Kurt"

Blaine grins and pushes off the desk, straightening up.

"Wonderful. I'll tell them the good news"

He hurries to grab his bag and heads out into the hall. He himself had auditioned for a solo at their previous sectionals, and he had blown them away with his cover of We are the World. It was the perfect song for the Warblers to join in on, showcasing their team spirit whilst also allowing Blaine's vocals to shine. Blaine makes his way down the hall and spots Kurt about to descend the staircase. He hurries after him with a hand tight on the strap of his bag.

"Hey! Kurt, wait up!" he calls and catches up to the boy, who turns to look at him with a small smile when he sees who is calling his name.

"I saw that Glee Club was hard for you today, seeing your idea shot down like that." Blaine smiles at him gently and Kurt lets out a soft sigh.

"It's just a different energy in there. Not better or worse, just something I'll have to get used to."

"We recognize that, and we have a tradition at this school of rewarding a student with a good attitude, so we'd like to invite you to audition for a solo." Blaine smiles and watches as Kurt's eyes light up just a little at the prospect of a solo.

"For Sectionals?" he breathes and Blaine nods.

"For Sectionals. Sing something good." He hums and pats Kurt's arm before he hurries off down to the bottom of the stairs with a grin. He loves being able to make Kurt smile. He pauses at the bottom of the stairs in thought before he turns around and looks at his friend, who is still standing on the staircase in shock.

"Hey… I just had a thought. Do you have class right now?" He asks and Kurt nods.

"Yeah, French."

"Okay, well after that meet me back here okay? I want to show you something" Blaine grins and earns himself a raised brow from Kurt, but the boy agrees anyway.

* * *

Blaine finds himself standing at the bottom of the staircase after Kurt's class, checking his pocket watch every now and then as impatience starts to settle on his skin.

"You look hurried. Am I being too slow?"

Blaine looks up as Kurt smiles at him, coming to a stop in front of Blaine.

"Not at all. Good class?" Blaine asks as Kurt looks around and nods.

"Yeah, I mean- it's nice to not be the only one who can speak French in class anymore" He hums and turns his attention to Blaine. "You wanted to show me something? Should I be worried?" He asks with a raised brow and Blaine rolls his eyes fondly before he takes the boy's hand and squeezes it.

"Of course not. I just thought that you needed a little pick me up" Blaine hums and let's go of the boy's hand and starts to walk him down the hall. Kurt follows beside him, looking at him with curiosity evident on his face.

"You know that we are underage right?" Kurt bites his lip as Blaine looks at him, a little impressed that Kurt thinks he may be able to pull off such a stunt as getting drunk on campus -on a school day.

"We aren't going drinking Kurt. I just wanted to show you something that I enjoyed when I first started here" Blaine explains as they walk down another hall, coming to a small door at the end. Kurt looks around before he smiles at his friend. Blaine opens the door and the pair are immediately met with a loud tweeting sound. Blaine watches as Kurt steps inside. Across the other side of the large room is an Avery. It's large and bright, little yellow canaries tweeting around happily. Kurt blinks and looks to Blaine, eyes wide and shining as he tries to figure out just what it is that Blaine is showing him.

"What is this?"

"This is Pavarotti's family" Blaine smiles as he stands behind Kurt, looking at the boy with a soft smile. "This is where he will come soon as well, and he'll find a little girlfriend and then Pav junior will come along and be passed down to the next Warbler to grow with." Blaine hums and Kurt nods slowly, stepping a little closer to the birds as they flitter around their Avery.

"So, he's not all alone?"

"Not at all. This is where they all live. We just take care of the little ones - when they are old enough to be parted from their mothers, obviously" He smiles and moves over to the Avery. Kurt walks with him and stands beside him, admiring all the little birds that are happily chirping and hopping around.

"This… it's made me feel a little better. Knowing little Pavarotti can come back here to his family" Kurt sighs and Blaine reaches out to take his hand, slotting his fingers in-between Kurt's in an almost practiced manner.

"All in due time Kurt. I promise"

* * *

Blaine applauds along with the rest of the Warblers when Jeff finishes singing his own exciting version of Take On Me from Aha, and Blaine notes the impressed looks that sit upon the council's faces.

"Wonderful. Jef,f we will be in touch shortly. Please send in Warbler Kurt" Wes nods and Jeff hurries out of the room. Blaine takes the time to readjust his tie and sit up a little in his seat. He has no idea what Kurt is singing; the boy never came to him for song advice all week long, even though Blaine had really thought he would. He'd even spent a solid 3 hours writing down a list of songs he thought might work in Kurt's favour with the counsel. Blaine simply assumes it's because Kurt doesn't want any inside help, but he feels a little put off by the notion that perhaps Kurt is seeking advice elsewhere. He lets the thought run away as Kurt enters, smiling nervously.

"Hello, my fellow Warblers" he hums and Blaine gives him a small thumbs up as he hands off his CD to Thad and stands in front of the group with a straight back and a smile.

"Today I will be singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina, from Evita- and of course, Madonna. A personal favourite that I feel highlights my vocal talents" Kurt smiles nods to Thad, who hits play. The music starts and Blaine settled back in his seat and allows himself to watch Kurt's performance. The moment the boy opens his mouth he is absolutely blown away. Kurt is a countertenor. It should have been obvious simply from how his voice sounds on a day to day basis, but Kurt singing is absolutely beautiful. Blaine watches his talent and coaches him through the song slightly. After all, he knows the Warblers tough standards and so far, Kurt is not scoring high for song choice. Kurt is emotional and in control of his voice the entire song, but Blaine can't help but notice some of the unimpressed faces in the room, and he himself knows this is not a team song. Maybe if Blaine had offered him some song advice… no. Kurt hadn't needed him. He had to make his own decisions; he is his own personal after all. Blaine watches as Kurt comes to the closing note and he applauds the boy for his efforts, letting himself look over to the council.

"Thank you, Kurt, for that… rather eye opening performance. We'll be in touch shortly. If you'd like to just wait out in the hall with our other two candidates" Wes gestures over to the door and Kurt nods, gives a little awkward curtsey and hurries out the door. Once it closes the Warblers begin to talk amongst themselves and Blaine is called up to the front.

"The council feel that we need to see another song from the contestants…" David begins and Blaine smiles.

"I know. I think maybe if we give them a theme, that way they know that…"

"Blaine. We would like Nick and Jeff to sing another song and figure out some harmonies for the rest of the team to add into them. Kurt was…his vocals are impressive" David sighs and Blaine raises a hand to silence him.

"I know. He was too personal and wasn't thinking of the team"

"Perhaps next time" Wes smiles weakly and nods his head. Blaine smiles just a little and straightens his tie once more.

"I'll notify the candidates" he says and makes his way to the door, a sad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He doesn't want to deliver bad news to Kurt, if anything- he wants to give the boy another chance. As he walks out into the hall, he hears the three talking and he gathers himself up and interrupts them.

"Hey guys. Nick, Jeff, congrats you're moving on." He smiles and the pair cheer and hug each other before they hurry off. Blaine lets his eyes focus on the Kurt as the boy smiles in defeat.

"Any sage advice?" the paler boy muses and Blaine watches him with soft eyes.

"Don't try so hard next time."

"I didn't realize that caring was frowned upon." Kurt is almost sarcastic, and Blaine tries his best not to frown. He knows it doesn't seem fair that Kurt must sit this one out, but this is his team after all. Things are always done to tradition and Kurt needs to know that so he can start becoming a part of the family that helped Blaine so much.

"I don't know how it worked at your old school, but did you notice that we all wear uniforms around here? It's about being part of the team." He says, aware that his tone may be a little bit too sassy, but Kurt doesn't seem to care.

"I guess I'm just used to having to scream to get noticed." Kurt says and looks down. Blaine sighs and moves a little closer as he speaks"

"You're not gonna make it as a Warbler if all you care about is getting noticed."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"I know it's gonna take some getting used to, but you'll fit in soon enough. I promise." Blaine smiles at the boy and starts to head back towards the Warblers before he pauses and turns around to look at Kurt.

"Why did you pick that song, by the way?" he asks, and Kurt looks up at him, rubbing his knee a little.

"A friend suggested it to me. She said I should be personal. I knew it wasn't ever really wise to put my trust in Rachel Berry" Kurt chuckles softly and Blaine gives him a soft smile.

"You have an amazing voice Kurt. It's very impressive. And I'm sure your time for a solo is just around the corner" he hums and shuffles a little on his feet. "If you're not busy later… did you want to come and help me set up some decorations in my dorm room?" he asks, and Kurt just looks at him with a blank expression.

"Decorations?"

"For Christmas."

"But it's November"

"Well you can never be too ready for Christmas Kurt. We can maybe watch a movie too." Blaine smiles hopefully and grins when Kurt throws a nod his way.

"Sure. I'll come over." He hums and Blaine nods.

"I'll see you there"

* * *

When the day of Sectionals finally arrives the Warblers all pile into the new bus and start to warm up instantly. Blaine sits beside Kurt and talks to him quietly for the ride there. He knows that Kurt is eager to see his friends again, and Blaine lets him know that it's totally okay if he wants to go and see them before they perform and wish them luck. They talk about how excited they are, and they go over some of the songs with the others and play a small game of 'would you rather' until the bus arrives. Once they are all signed in Blaine lets Kurt go and find his friends, staying back to talk to Wes and David about a few last-minute notes he has. Then he gets himself ready and when they start calling for places, Blaine heads off to find Kurt. He finds the boy talking away happily to a small brunette girl who is rather loud and animated, and he smiles a little at how comfortable Kurt seems around her.

"Kurt, they're calling places" Blaine smiles and looks to the girl. "Hey" he nods, and Kurt stands and bids the girl goodbye and follows Blaine.

"How are the friends?" Blaine asks and Kurt smiles.

"Good- from what I gathered. Stressing a little but, I think we all are" Kurt hums and bites on his lower lip, clearly nervous.

"Okay, I'm going to give you a small tip here. Smile" Blaine hums as he and Kurt move backstage as they wait to go on. Kurt looks at him and sighs softly.

"I'm sorry. I know you must think me ungrateful…"

"I think you're adjusting" Blaine tells him before Kurt can finish. He looks at the boy and turns to face him fully. "Kurt, I get this is hard for you. It has to be, seeing your friends again and being at a different school… but you can make friends here too. And maybe we can be your new family. But for that to happen, you have to be open to the idea"

Kurt looks at him for a long moment before he nods and looks down at his shoes.

"I know. It's just different. And I like to think I already have a friend here" he hums and looks up to smile at Blaine. Blaine nods and reached out, squeezing the boy's shoulder gently.

"You do. Now let's get out there and win this thing" Blaine grins and claps Kurt on the shoulder before he hurries off to take his position behind the curtain, the rest of the Warblers doing the same. Blaine lets his head move from side to side as he warms up a little. He's used to performing, of course he is, but he still gets a little nervous regardless. They need to be wonderful today. David claps him on the back as he takes his position and Blaine gives a final glance and smile over to Kurt before they are being announced and the curtain is coming up. He knows he doesn't have anyone in the audience to perform for, no family members or old friends, but his teammates do. So, he puts on his best performance and he moves like the stage is his home, making sure to be crystal clear in his diction and make sure that Kurt is having fun. He catches Kurt's eyes a few times during the performance and notices as they go on that the boy is smiling more. The moment the curtains are down again David is clapping him hard on the back and the rest of the Warblers are cheering away happily at how they went.

Blaine makes his way over to Kurt and smiles at him.

"So… the verdict?"

"It was… wonderful" Kurt smiles and blushes a little as a few of the Warblers high five him.

"I'm glad you think so" Blaine grins and links arms with Kurt, walking them off the stage.

* * *

**Blaine. SOS in the south study hall. Please come ASAP-Kurt**

Blaine smiles as his phone beeps and he opens it up, a frown racing onto his face immediately.

"Sorry Andy, I really have to go" he breathes as he sets his latte down and gets to his feet quickly, many different scenario's racing through his head as he does. The blonde-haired Andy looks up from his coffee, a little stunned.

"Oh… oh okay… um… another time?" he asks as Blaine hurries off.

"Sure!"

Blaine races down the hall and makes a sharp turn down another, coming to a halt outside the south study hall. He walks inside and collects himself just a little as he goes.

"I got your text, what's wrong?" he breathes as he spots Kurt sitting over on one of the couches. Kurt looks up at him and Blaine makes a mental note that he boy looks perfectly safe and sound.

_Good_.

"It's Pavarotti, I think he's sick. I've been taking good care of him, but he… he won't sing, and he…he's losing his feathers." Kurt swallows and Blaine makes his way around the other side of the couch, bending down to examine the little bird. He smiles softly when he realises the problem and sits back beside his friend.

"Oh, he's just moulting. He's growing a new coat of feathers so his body as to shut down a little. But don't worry about it. He's got food, water, seems to like his cage. Just give it a little while. He'll be singing again in no time." He smiles at Kurt and the pair look at each other for a moment before they look away.

"Don't forget, Warbler practice tonight at 5. Regionals here we come!" Blaine squeezes Kurt's thigh before he gets to his feet, deciding to leave Kurt be for a while. He's still settling in after all, and probably needs his own space. He heads out into the hall and smiles a little to himself, looking down at his phone. He has a rare text from Cooper, wandering if he wants to skype tonight for a few minutes since that's all the time Cooper has these days.

"You weren't busy, were you?" Blaine looks up from his phone to see Kurt standing there with Pavarotti. He cocks his head to the side a little as Blaine shakes his head.

"No. No. I was just having coffee with a friend"

"A friend?" Kurt muses and Blaine chuckles.

"Yes"

"Like a date?" he hums and Blaine blushes slightly.

"No. Not a date. Just coffee with a friend" Blaine smiles and puts his phone away into his pocket.

"Are you busy after practice? I was thinking we could grab dinner. Eat it in my dorm and watch movies?" Blaine smiles and Kurt nods quickly.

"Yes. That sounds… wonderful" he smiles and looks down at the little bird.

"Great."

A silence falls over the pair before Kurt bites his lip and smiles, saying goodbye before he heads off down the hall. Blaine looks down at his phone and grins, dialling his brother's number. After a few moments it stops ringing.

"Hey squirt, I have about 2 minutes before I'm due back on set so this better be rapid fire"

"Nice to hear from you too Coop. I just wanted to tell you that I made a new friend. And I really think it's gonna last this time…"


	6. Chapter 6 - A Very Glee Christmas

_**Thank you all so much for the support with this story.**_

_**Here is the first Christmas episode :) I hope you all enjoy, let me know your thoughts!**_

* * *

**Chapter Six**

_**A Very Glee Christmas**_

If there is one thing that Blaine loves, it's Christmas. He loves the soft white snow that falls in December and fills the Dalton grounds, making it look like a scene right out of a novel. He loves the fashion as it gives him a chance to expand on his steadily growing scarf collection; which Kurt has now become a large donator to. But most of all, Blaine loves the holiday music that really gets everyone in the Christmas spirit. So naturally he has applied for numerous holiday jobs that will allow him to sing his favourite carols in a public setting, and when his phone goes off in the middle of his solo shopping trip to the Gap, he answers with a happy tone and practically jumps for joy when he's told he got a job singing Baby it's Cold Outside at the Kings Island Christmas Spectacular.

"Scored a cute date?"

A voice snaps Blaine out of his excited haze and he turns around, a red scarf in one hand, his phone clutched tightly in the other. He comes face to face with the cute young man he's learnt is the Assistant Store Manager, eyes looking down to the name badge that sits pinned neatly to his green sweater.

_Jerimiah_

Blaine blinks and composes himself, straightening his back a little as he smiles at the young man.

"Scored a pretty good gig actually" he hums and starts to blush under the man's gaze.

"I did see you staring at your phone for a solid ten minutes, waiting for it to ring so… congrats" Jeremiah hums and reaches behind Blaine to fold a sweat someone has dumped. Blaine swallows and tries not to inhale the man's cologne in too deeply.

_He smells amazing.  
_  
"Thanks. I'm Blaine, by the way" he breathes, and Jerimiah looks him up and down for the briefest of moments before he sets the sweater in his hands down and offers Blaine a handshake. The boy takes it and grips his hand eagerly as they shake.

"Jerimiah"

Blaine grins and let's go of Jerimiah's hand, clutching the scarf even tighter.

_God, his hands are soft. Are men's hands always this soft? Yes, duh, Kurt's hands are just as soft… but Kurt isn't all men, is he? He's technically a boy… but Jerimiah is most definitely a man…  
_  
"Nice choice. It goes with the uniform. Prep school huh? I remember those days. Hallways filled with testosterone and far too much deodorant." Jerimiah chuckles just a little as he eyes the scarf in Blaine's hand. Blaine swallows just a little, nervous for reasons he isn't really sure of. Jerimiah is older, and he's most definitely cute.

_Relax Anderson. Breathe. Be charming. You totally have this._

"It does go very well… but it's not for me. A Christmas present for a friend who happens to share my love of scarves" Blaine smiles and carefully folds the scarf over his arm and goes back to looking at more in the collection he is standing beside.

"You went to an all boys school?" Blaine muses, looking up at the young man with slight interest in his eyes before he goes back to aimlessly looking through the racks of scarves.

"Sure did. In Michigan. Moved here two years ago." Jerimiah tells Blaine and reaches over him and picks out a long scarf that was a soft blue in colour, with hints of brown and red running through it.

"Here, you should try this. It would really bring out those eyes of yours" he smiles, and Blaine is pretty sure his heart is starting to melt. This man is talking about his eyes, and helping him pick out clothes? He takes a small breath and takes the scarf.

"I'll take both" he breathes, and Jerimiah gives him a simple nod and walks him over towards the checkout. He rings up the items and smiles at Blaine as he hands him the bag once he has paid.

"Say… if I need more scarf advice…" Blaine begins and Jerimiah chuckles.

"Feel free to come back. I work every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. And next time I might even shout you a coffee" he hums, and Blaine grips the bag tightly and nods just a little too enthusiastically.

"Awesome! I'll see you around" he grins and practically skips out of the Gap with his new scarves.

* * *

"…and so I said that Carole would most definitely not appreciate a new vacuum cleaner, to which Finn replies, 'but she's a mum. They like cleaning up stuff'. I swear he was dropped on his head as a baby" Kurt rolls his eyes as he lays on Blaine's dorm room bed, watching his friend pack up some of his clothes into a suitcase. Blaine chuckles softly as he tosses some socks into the case, looking up at Kurt.

"Your brother doesn't exactly seem like the sharpest tool in the shed"

"Oh, he isn't" Kurt hums and pops another piece of popcorn into his mouth from the bowl beside him.

"So maybe give him some assistance. He'll learn eventually. I mean… you said he never had a Dad, right? He probably never had any help when it came to these sorts of occasions. The gift giving kind" Blaine shrugs and moves over to his bed, laying down beside Kurt, eating some popcorn too.

"I suppose. I guess I'm just not used to having someone ask me for gift advice who isn't my Dad" Kurt smiles and takes some more popcorn as Blain grabs the remote, turning on the TV that sits directly opposite the bed. The bed isn't too large, so the boys are pressed together, though Blaine doesn't really mind. Kurt's figure is slight, and he happens to be extremely warm. Blaine eats some more popcorn before he looks at Kurt.

"Are you excited? To have a larger family for Christmas?"

"I am actually, yes. I love Carole, she's wonderful. And Finn really has started to become like a brother to me. He sends me little updates via text very now and then" Kurt smiles to himself and looks at Blaine, remaining silent for a moment before he speaks.

"Are you going home for Christmas?"

Blaine knows that Kurt is only asking because Blaine hardly ever talks about his family. And when he does, it's not with grand excitement. Yes, Blaine loves his parents dearly, of course he does. He knows that they are both very busy and important people, and he can't expect them to be worrying over him every second of every day, he gets that. He also knows that his father would rather Blaine lead a very different lifestyle to the one he does, but he knows his father loves him. He misses his brother, who is hardly ever home except for birthdays and important holidays. Cooper had missed Thanksgiving this year, so Blaine was more than excited for him to come home for Christmas.

"Yeah. I always do." Blaine says softly before he flicks over the channel until he finds something good. He settles for an old timey Christmas movie and relaxes back into the pillows on his bed. Kurt shuffles beside him and plays with the rim of the popcorn bowl.

"I used to love Christmas" he whispers, and Blaine looks at him.

"Used to?"

"Well… I still do. But I used to love it a whole lot more. When my Mum was around" he sighs, and Blaine turns his full attention to the boy. Kurt rarely talks about his mother, unless of course she is brought up in conversation, which Blaine tries to avoid as much as he can.

"She loved to bake, and she always used to make these delicious holiday cookies. They were mint choc chip and she'd decorate them with little Santa faces or Rudolph…and whenever she would start baking those, I knew it was time for Christmas." Kurt smiles and looks down at his hands. "She would always decorate the tree just right, and she and my Dad would sing holiday songs around the house every day. Dad would always get just a little annoyed because Mum would always buy the tree, and never wait until he got home because she was so excited" Kurt grins and looks at Blaine with soft eyes.

"I miss her at Christmas, a lot… but this year won't be so hard. Because I have a new family to celebrate with… and a new friend too" He whispers and bites his lip before he takes Blaine's hand and squeezes it. Blaine feels his heart swell at the wonderfully friendly action, and he squeezes back.

"The honour is all mine Kurt" he smiles and looks at the boy for a long moment, thinking just how strong he seems to be. Kurt's cheeks turn a soft pink and he turns back to the TV, keeping his fingers interlocked with Blaine's, and Blaine is more than happy to keep things that way.

* * *

"So this singing thing… will it be televised?"

Blaine rolls his eyes as he sits on his bed in full Warbler uniform, flicking through a history book with one hand, phone to his ear in the other as he talks to his brother.

"No Coop, it's not televised. But it brings in quite a crowd, so I don't know… I could get more gigs from it" Blaine hums and stares as the pages, nothing really sinking in.

"And have you been rehearsing? Rehearsing is so important…"

"Well it's a duet, Coop."

"So?"

"So… Who am I going to sing with? I go to an all-boys school" Blaine chuckles and he hears his brother laugh on the other end.

"Really Blaine? You are so clueless. Didn't you tell me a few weeks ago that you have a friend who has the range of a girl? And that meant you guys can branch out in song choice or something" Cooper hums and Blaine blinks, closing his book.

"Oh my god. Of course! God… I didn't even think about asking Kurt…" he breathes and Cooper sighs.

"Big bro to the rescue. I have to go now squirt, photoshoot time. I'll see you"

Cooper hangs up before Blaine can even ask him about what he got their parents for Christmas. He puts his phone into his pocket and gets off the bed, straightening up his blazer. He hadn't even thought about asking Kurt to rehearse with him, he'd been so caught up in spending holiday time with the boy it hadn't even occurred to him to ask. He grabs his little CD player and slides the disk he had been practising alone to inside and heads off down the dormitory hallway. He knows that Kurt will either be in the senior common room (The Warblers always allowed him to study in there), or the south wing common room that people usually tended to avoid after 5pm because they didn't want to deal with the hassle of lighting up the fire. It got incredibly cold down there. Blaine pops his head into the senior commons and sees Wes sitting there, surrounded by papers.

"Oh... hey" Blaine smiles and Wes looks up, chuckling softly when he sees Blaine in the doorway.

"He's in the south wing. Trent was just there" Wes smiles and Blaine blinks a little, confused.

"I… Kurt?"

"Yep"

"How did you know I was looking for Kurt?" he asks and Wes looks down at his notes.

"You're always looking for Kurt." Wes responds casually and Blaine doesn't bother asking what he means by that. Instead he gives him a small wave and head's off down the hallway, gripping his CD player even tighter. He hums as he goes, smiling to a few classmates as they head back to their dorms for the night. He sees the two open doors to the south wing, and he heads inside, immediately spotting Kurt with his head down, studying a rather large textbook. He sets down the CD player and Kurt looks up quickly.

"Hey" Blaine smiles and Kurt's face relaxes a little.

"You scared me" he breathes and Blaine turns on the CD player, smirking a little.

"Good because I'm actually Marley's ghost, and I'm here to tell you to stop studying so hard" he smiles as he takes a seat opposite Kurt.

"What's with the boom box?" Kurt asks and looks at it quizzically as Blaine leans back in his chair.

"I need you to sing with me. Well, rehearse with me. I got a gig singing Baby It's Cold Outside at the Kings Island Christmas Spectacular" Blaine widens his eyes and gives Kurt a little smile.

Kurt raises his brow at his words and sets down his pencil and sits back in his chair.

"Ah, a personal favourite. Too bad they'd never let us sing it together" he hums and Blaine furrows his brow a little in confusion.

"I am as two… artists" Kurt states and Blaine agrees with him with a soft smirk.

"So, are you gonna help me out here?" he muses and Kurt responds quickly.

"Anything to get me to stop reading about Charlemagne."

"Very good then" Blaine smiles and flicks Kurt's text book closed as he gets to his feet, heading over to the CD player. He has to admit, he's a little happy to get to sing with Kurt after their few months of friendship. Kurt has a wonderful voice and Blaine loves performing in general, and who knows, maybe he'd find a new car duet partner after this. He hits play on the box and starts to dance a little as the music comes on. He leans against the chair and gestures for Kurt to begin.

"I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside  
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside  
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in  
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice"

Kurt gets up and starts to make his way towards the other side of the room and Blaine smiles, following along after him as they sing, finding that their voices blend together extremely well.

"My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry?  
Father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar  
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry  
Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some records on while I pour"

The neighbours might think - Baby, it's bad out there  
Say, what's in this drink? - No cabs to be had out there  
I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight now  
To break this spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell

I ought to say no, no, no - Mind if I move in closer?  
At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride?  
I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out  
Ah, but it's cold outside"

Blaine grins when they end up at the piano, letting his fingers move over the ivory keys as he plays along to the soundtrack, smiling up at Kurt who has a slight blush to his cheeks.

'I've got to get home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there  
Say, lend me your coat - It's up to your knees out there  
You've really been grand - Thrill when you touch my hand  
Why don't you see - How can you do this thing to me?  
There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Think of my life long sorrow  
At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died'

Blaine kneels on the couch and pouts at Kurt, letting his eyes scan over the boy's as he sings and for the briefest of moment's Blaine can't get the thought of Kurt's lips out of his head. They're pretty close together now, _all I'd have to do is lean forward and I'll be able to taste the cherry lip balm I know he uses_, but Kurt moves and the thought is immediately out of Blaine's mind just as quickly as it entered.

"I really can't stay - Get over that hold out  
Ah, but it's cold outside"

They finish singing and end up on the couch, pressed closely together. They smile at each other and Blaine looks away for a moment, chuckling softly to himself, trying to find the words to explain to Kurt just how fun singing with him had been.

"I think you're ready" Kurt smiles and Blaine smiles back.

"Well… for the record," Blaine begins as he gets to his feet, turning to look at his friend. "You're much better than that girl is gonna be" he hums and heads over to his CD player, picking it up. He sees a vaguely familiar man enter just as he exists and smiles at him, remembering him to be Mr Schuester, the coach of the New Directions. He must be here to see Kurt. He leaves the two alone and head's back to his dorm, completely happy with how that rehearsal had went. He gets changed into his pyjamas [ a pair of track pants and a Dalton sweatshirt, his normal pyjamas were packed in his suitcase]. He gets out his phone once he is under the covers, his roommate out for the night.

**Thanks for singing with me tonight. Let's do it again sometime? -B**

He sets his phone down on the bedside table and flicks his lamp off, falling to sleep almost immediately. When he wakes in the morning, he sees Kurt response and can't help but smile.

**Do you even need to ask? Sign me up for the role of 'duet partner' anytime -K**

* * *

"I suppose I'll see you after the Christmas break" Kurt sighs as he stands outside by Blaine's car, a small box in his hands, all wrapped up in shiny green and red wrapping paper. Blaine smiles as he closes his trunk, leaning against his car. He's all wrapped up in his winter gear, scarf and beanie keeping his head warm, and Kurt is exactly the same.

"You could always come for the ride; I can drop you home"

"I know but my Dad's already on his way with Finn. They want to check out the school again for some reason. Personally, I think Finn wants to have some of the muffins I rave on about all the time from the café" Kurt rolls his eyes and Blaine chuckles softly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Right. Well, we will obviously call each other. And text. And skype" Blaine hums and Kurt looks down at his gift.

"I know. I've just gotten so used to seeing you all the time" he chuckles, and Blaine unfolds his arms, opening up his car door. He pulls a small present off the seat and offers it out to Kurt.

"Merry Christmas Kurt" he hums and Kurt smiles, exchanging gifts with Blaine. Blaine had gotten Kurt a soft red scarf and a small silver canary broach along with a voucher to a new vegan skin care store that opened up in the Lima mall.

"Don't open that until Christmas day" Kurt warns and smiles widely as he takes Blaine's gift and tucks it under his arm. Blaine stashes his present from Kurt in the back seat and closes the door, sighing softly.

"Well… have a great Christmas and a happy New Year." He smiles and steps forward, pulling Kurt into a warm embrace. Kurt hugs him back for a few moments before they let go and Blaine adjusts his scarf.

"You too" Kurt smiles and steps back, waving as Blaine gets into the car. The boy turns on his stereo and White Christmas starts to blare as he backs out and starts the drive home, waving to Kurt until the boy is out of sight. He smiles to himself as he goes, glad that he'd managed to score such a wonderful friend this year.

* * *

Blaine shivers a little as he stands outside at the amusement park, waiting for his duet partner to show up. They have two hours of rehearsal time before they are set to perform, and Blaine is sure that he's ready. He pulls his coat just a little tighter around himself, smiling at the people who pass him by.

"There we go. He's right here. We'll see you both at curtain call" A man's voice cut's through Blaine's thoughts and he looks up, smiling at his duet partner as he walks over to him. Something about her is familiar, her bright red stockings and emerald green dress are taken in as Blaine looks her up and down quickly. He's seen this girl before.

"Hi! It's Blaine, right? I'm Rachel Berry, star performer of the New Directions. I have to say, I'm glad that you're my duet partner. At least I know you harbour some form of talent" Rachel smiles brightly up at Blaine and the boy blinks before he quickly holds out his gloved hand.

"Lovely to officially meet you Rachel" he smiles softly and grins when Rachel's grip is just as firm as he'd expected.

"Likewise. Now, shall we get to rehearsing?" the girl hums and Blaine nods, following after her happily He can't wait to share this with Kurt.

* * *

"What do you mean… he's not coming home?" Blaine swallows as he stands at the bottom of the stairs in his red skinny jeans and overly large Christmas sweater, an arm full of gifts ready to put under the tree.

Pam sighs softly with her phone in her hands, looking up at her son as her husband takes off his coat, having just come home from work.

"He's not able to make it. They don't stop shooting until late tonight and by that time he wouldn't land here until tomorrow afternoon…"

"But it's Christmas" Blaine breathes and stands there, unsure of what is actually happening. One moment he was racing down the stairs, completely overjoyed because his brother was going to be coming home any minute and he had so much to tell him, and the next moment his mother was telling him that Cooper would not be home for Christmas. They hardly had time to speak on the phone these days for longer than five minutes, and Blaine hadn't seen him in person in almost a year.

"And Cooper has a job that requires him to work over the holidays. We have to accept that" Daniel says simply as he presses a small kiss to his wife's cheek, looking up at his youngest son.

"But… I haven't seen him in so long…"

"And neither have we. That's a part of life, Blaine. People grow up and they leave home and start their own lives. I'm sure Cooper will come around for birthdays…"

"He missed my last one" Blaine sighs and looks down at the gifts in his hands. Daniel simply sighs and moves to stand in front of his son, looking up at him from the few steps below.

"Blaine… you're 16 years old. It's time that you accepted the fact that your brother isn't always going to be around when you want him to be." Daniel says simply and Blaine swallows, trying hard not to cry. Christmas is an important time of year, was it so wrong of him to want his whole family to be there for it?

"I suppose he's just like you in that respect, Sir" Blaine says flatly before he turns and heads back up the stairs. He can hear his mother and father start to argue softly and their voices soon drown out as Blaine closes his door. He sets his presents for Cooper down on his desk and moves to sit on the edge of his bed. He knows on some level that his father is probably right, he does need to learn that Cooper isn't always going to be there, but that's hard. Blaine had always looked up to his brother, even though Cooper hadn't always been the kindest brother in the world. As Blaine got older though, they had been able to bond a little more, and in Blaine's freshmen year they had really connected, until Cooper moved away. Blaine felt like all his progress had been tossed down the drain since then.

A soft knock on his bedroom door brings Blaine out of his thoughts and he collects himself once again.

"Come in"

Daniel steps inside and closes the door behind him, and Blaine is surprised to see that the man's expression does not contain anger.

"That was extremely rude, what you said downstairs Blaine" Daniel says simply and Blaine looks down at his knees.

"I know. I'm sorry…"

"But you were right"

Blaine's head snaps up so fast that his neck clicks a little, his eyes just a little too wide.

"I… I was?" he asks, his voice soft as he stares at his father. Daniel gives him a brief nod before he moves over to his sons bed, taking a seat beside him.

"Yes. I… I know that I have been distant. For a long time. My job doesn't help that and I know that there have been a few times where you'd needed a father and I haven't stepped up to the plate" Daniel rubs his hands over his own thighs as he talks, something Blaine knows the man does when he's nervous…a very rare situation. "And it's my job to apologise for that. It's been tough on me too Blaine…these past few years and with everything that went down at your old school… I should have responded immediately to your complaints. Instead I thought you should… face the situation dealt to you like a man. And it never once occurred to me that you were still just a boy" Daniel looks at his son and takes a small breath.

"You and your brother are so different. He's bold… he speaks his mind constantly… and he never really needed me as much as I'd hoped he would… I just assumed that you were the same. But you're not. You're softer spoken and you think before you speak… most of the time" he chuckles and Blaine smiles softly. "And you needed me. You needed me to hear you and I'm sorry I didn't listen. And I'm sorry Cooper isn't going to be here for Christmas… but me and your mother are, and I would really love it if we could just spend tomorrow as a family." Daniel looks to his son and opens his arms, Blaine pausing for a moment before he moved into his father's embrace.

"Thanks Dad" he breathes and chuckles when he receives a small pat on the back.

"Good. Now… clean up and come back down stairs… we'll watch a movie" Daniel states before he gets to his feet, heading to the door. He pauses and looks back at Blaine.

"It's good to have you home son" he says simply before he leaves.

Blaine smiles and lays down on his bed, closing his eyes. At least now maybe Christmas wouldn't be so bad.

Christmas Day for Blaine wasn't as bad as he's thought. He'd woken up in the morning bright and early and raced downstairs to find his mother and father already awake with breakfast set. They'd eaten and then exchanged gifts. Lunch had been spent with Blaine's grandparents and then dinner was at their home once more.

Blaine heads back up to his room after a Christmas movie and smiles when he sees Kurt's gift sitting on his chair. He picks it up and moved to his bed, slowly tearing at the lovely wrapping. Inside is a simple, black velvet box. Blaine frowns a little and opens it up, his breath hitching in his throat when he sees the gift. It's a small charm, a little yellow canary sitting upon the black cushion. Blaine gently strokes over its solid form and flips it over, grinning from ear to ear when he sees the small engraving in the back.

/Courage/

Blaine sets the box down and moves to his phone.

**Your gift is amazing. Merry Christmas Kurt xx I'll skype you bright and early -B**

He smiles and lays down, holding the charm in his hand until he falls asleep.

**Merry Christmas Blaine xx Pavarotti and I will be bright eyed and ready -K**

* * *

**_And there we have it. Another chapter done and dusted. I wanted to have Rachel as the duet partner because even though she doesn't celebrate Christmas, we all know she never passes up a chance to perform!_**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

**Chapter **7

_**The Sue Sylvester Shuffle**_

"You know- I haven't had a coffee as good as this in ages"

Blaine grins as he sits across from Jerimiah, trying hard not to blush every time the young man looks at him for longer than a few seconds. It's rather hard though, because his eyes are so mesmerising that Blaine feels like he just wants to get lost in them. But he can't, at least not today. He has to meet Kurt in half an hour so they can drive down to Lima for dinner at Kurt's house.

"Well, it's nothing compared to the Lima Bean, but it is pretty good" Blaine hums and sips his coffee and tries to compose himself. "Thank you for… having coffee with me today" He breathes and Jerimiah shrugs his shoulders.

"It's no big deal. I mean, we did have coffee a few weeks ago" He chuckles and set's his cup down. "I see you around the store quite often…So I have to ask you something. Do you come there for… me?" Jerimiah asks, and Blaine swallows his coffee a little too quickly and starts to choke just a little.

_Shit! Shit he knows! Play it cool Blaine for god sake! Stop choking!_

"Do I… no. No. I like to shop. A lot. And the Gap has really good deals so… I come around when I can… for the deals" Blaine nods quickly and sets his own cup down. Jerimiah smiles a little and reaches behind him to put his jacket back on.

"I just thought I'd ask. Anyway… I have to get back to work. Don't be a stranger… I can point out good deals to you whenever you'd like" he gets to his feet and gives Blaine a small pat on the shoulder before he leaves, leaving the younger boy blushing furiously. Blaine turns around and watches him leave with large, longing eyes before he sighs softly and gets to his feet, putting his bag over his shoulder. He knows that his crush is pointless, but Jerimiah hadn't exactly blown him off yet, so that had to be a good thing, right?

Blaine smiles at the barista as he leaves, heading back to his car. He knows it's silly, and that maybe he should just come clean about his feelings to the older man, but he doesn't really want to feel rejection again. The last time he'd been rejected had hurt- physically.

He closes his eyes when the memories start to flood back in and he shakes his head, getting into the car, turning the radio on quickly. He doesn't need any reminders of that night. None at all. He makes the drive back to Dalton with the radio on full blast, smiling when he spots Kurt as he pulls in to his usual parking area.

"Blaine! I was worried I'd have to go and search for you! Are you ready to go?" Kurt asks as Blaine climbs out of his car, locking it before he makes his way over to his friend, who is carefully stowing Pavarotti and his cage into the back seat.

"Ready. You're bringing Pav?" Blaine hums as he sets his bag down on the floor in the passenger side of the car, smiling at Kurt as he leans against the car frame.

"Of course. I have to make sure he's warm and fully fed" Kurt hums happily and closes the back door, looking at Blaine with a soft blush on his cheeks.

"Dad and Carole are excited. They can't wait to meet you" He breathes and Blaine smiles at him, adjusting his tie a little. Tonight, is the night he gets to meet Kurt's Dad. He has to admit, he's just a little nervous. He's seen pictures of the man, of course he has. Kurt was only too happy to show him his family and friends, but there's something different about meeting your best friend's father, and Blaine knows he has to make a good impression.

"I'm excited to meet them. And to officially meet Finn. He and Rachel are still broken up?" Blaine asks as Kurt moves around to the driver's side, slipping in to start the engine. Kurt gives Blaine a nod as he gets in and buckles up, settling down into the passenger seat.

"Yeah. I gather so, Rachel hasn't told me any different. Finn doesn't really like to talk much about her… though I assume that's because she cheated." Kurt sighs and backs out of his spot, heading out onto the main road a few moments later.

"Yeah… she is very head strong too, from what I've seen of her so far at least. She was definitely a shining star at the Christmas concert we did together" Blaine hums and glances over at Kurt, the boy rolling his eyes as he grips the wheel.

"I heard. She told me at least three times. I wouldn't be surprised if she starts trying to call you up, asking for you to be her permanent duet partner" Kurt sighs and Blaine chuckles softly, hooking his phone up to Kurt's sound system.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. Besides, you're my new duet partner" Blaine grins and looks over at Kurt, who flashes him a coy smile before he focuses his gaze back to the road. "Or were you just lying to me over Christmas to get me to tear you away from your studies? Oh, my Mr Hummel! I was just a cog in your anti-homework plans!" Blaine feigns hurt and presses a hand over his heart and grins when Kurt blushes even deeper.

"No… not at all, but speaking of duets and the fact that our Christmas rehearsal was rather fabulous… do the warblers ever have more than just one person sing? And… um… is it ever anyone else? No offence" Kurt adds quickly and gives Blaine a quick look to make sure the boy isn't angry at him. Blaine just smiles and runs a hand through his slightly gelled curls and sighs.

"I… since I've been there… we haven't really showcased a duet. Only solo voices. I-I guess I was originally asked to lead the group because I have a strong voice. That's what David told me anyway. But as you saw, we do showcase others' voices. Nick had a solo at sectionals, and I don't really know what's going to be happening for regionals. I for one am all for showcasing more talent, but as you know… it's not up to me" Blaine hums and looks over at Kurt, who sighs softly at the boy's words.

"I know that you aren't the final decision maker… but you do have a strong influence over the group Blaine, you can't deny that." Kurt says and Blaine picks up on the small tone of annoyance that's wrapped up in his words. Blaine sighs softly and nods.

"You're right" he hums and watches as Kurt nibbles on his lower lip for a few moments, and he can't help but feel just a little bit guilty for all the attention he gets from the Warblers.

"So…Did you watch the latest episode of the Bachelorette?"

The atmosphere throughout the rest of the car ride is that of a peaceful one, and Blaine is more than thankful for how easy it is for him and Kurt to talk to each other. It feels like time goes by in a flash, and soon Blaine is smiling nervously as Kurt pulls into his driveway and kills the engine with a sigh.

"Here we are, home sweet home" he hums and looks over to Blaine, giving him a small smile. It calms Blaine that Kurt looks just a nervous as he does. The pair climb out of the car and Blaine allows himself a few brief moments to admire the home that stands in front of him. It is nothing like his parents overly grand house, and he loves it. He loves the slightly overgrown bushes that line the pathway, he loves the little knocker on the door and the cosy feel that the whole place gives off. It smells like honeysuckle and fresh lawn and he could breathe it in all day if he could.

"You have a really lovely home, Kurt" Blaine comments and turns around to help Kurt with his things, the other boy chuckling at him softly.

"You haven't even stepped inside yet"

Blaine smiles and turns back to face the house, swallowing when he door opens. Burt Hummel walks outside of his home and makes his way down the pathway towards the boys, and Blaine automatically straightens up his posture a little more, quickly making sure that his tie is straight and flattened on the front of his chest.

"It's about time boys" Burt hums and he smiles at his son before he turns his full attention to Blaine. Blaine takes in the size of the man in front of him, and the stern look that is now set upon his face. He can see flecks of Kurt in him, but assumes Kurt got most of his looks from his mum.

"You must be Blaine. Heard a lot about you, more so about your voice but… I'm sure I'll learn the rest" Burt extends a hand and Blaine shakes it firmly, smiling softly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Hummel" Blaine breathes and Burt lets go of his hand, a smile returning to his face as he folds his arms across his chest.

"Polite… I like it" he chuckles and smiles at Kurt as the boy passes him.

"Come on, I'm starving and I'm sure Blaine would like to meet Carole too, Dad"

Burt nods his head and let's Blaine pass, the boy giving him a humble smile.

"Kurt always talks about you guys… I hear you wedding was amazing. Very tasteful" He hums and Burt lets out a hearty chuckle as he follows the two boys into the house, Kurt setting his things down in the hall.

"Thank you. One of the best day's I've ever had" Burt replies and closes the door behind him. Blaine can here pans clanging from the kitchen and the smell of dinner hits him quickly. He looks around the home and immediately feels warm and at home in his surroundings. There is wall art hanging on the wall that-from its strangely intriguing design and pop or colour- Blaine can only assume Kurt chose, a few photographs of the family hung up around them. He follows Kurt through the lounge towards the kitchen where Carole makes her appearance, a smile on her face as she sets down five plates onto the kitchen counter.

"Hello! You must be Blaine. I'm Carole, Kurt's stepmom" She hums and moves to give him a quick hug, Blaine smiling softly, planting a soft kiss to her cheek. Carole is small and her cheeks are rosy, and she looks like a very sweet lady, the perfect contrast to Kurt's father.

"It's lovely to meet you. Dinner smells amazing" he tells her and the woman bats a hand at him as Kurt slips passed them, taking it upon himself to stir whatever delicious substance is currently bubbling away in the pot.

"Don't worry Carole, you'll get used to how incredibly dapper Blaine can be" Kurt smiles at them from over his shoulder and Blaine feels a slight heat rise in his cheeks. Carole chuckles as she starts to set the table.

"Kurt tells me the two of you are in glee club together" she hums and Blaine nods, adjusting his tie a little.

"We are, yes. Kurt is really very talented; it's quite an honour to be able to have someone with his vocal range on the team. We can expand in our song selection for competitions now" Blaine smiles and catches Kurt's eye and the boy blushes, the colour of his cheeks causing Blaine to smile even wider. The soft pink hue really does suit him.

"Where's Finn?" Kurt asks and Carole sighs, adjusting the pink and white flowers that sit in the centre of the table.

"Up in his room, going over things for glee club. And football. I think he's stressing out just a little this week" Carole tells the boy and Blaine hears the clumping of feet as they trudge down the stairs, a rather tall boy making his way into the kitchen a few moments later.

"Understandable. The Warblers are really cracking down on practice now, competition this year is really fierce" Blaine comments and looks up at Finn, who stands in the doorway looking just a little lost.

"Hi Finn" Blaine greets the boy and holds back a chuckle when Finn blinks down at Blaine before his lips turn up into a small smile.#

"Hey, Blaine right? Sup dude?" Finn gives him a nod and Blaine is about to respond to what is up when Kurt looks over at the pair and frowns.

"Finn. I've heard absolutely nothing from you for ages. What's going on?" He huffs and Finn sighs, looking at his mum for any form of help before he turns back to Kurt when he received nothing.

"Nothing dudes. Just going over some new stuff we learned in glee. And plays for football. Artie had some cool ideas so…" Finn trails off and wanders further into the kitchen to inspect the food. Kurt doesn't look too impressed but Blaine smiles anyway.

"Seems fair" he hums and looks to Kurt.

"So… are you going to give me a tour?" he hums and he earns himself a smile from his friend.

"Sure" Kurt grins and reaches out to take Blaine's hand in his own and begins to tug him back to the front of the house, starting to talk about how they has chosen this house to be their new one, as a new family, and Blaine can't help but hang on to every word Kurt says.

* * *

"So Blaine, Kurt tells me that you live fairly close" Burt hums as he swallows a forkful of dinner, Blaine smiling politely as he chews. He sets his knife and fork down and wipes his lips on the napkin before answering, giving himself time to come up with an answer.

"I used to, yes sir. My parents live close to Lima. But at the moment I board permanently up at Dalton." He smiles and little and takes a sip from his apple juice that Kurt had insisted on freshly juicing for him before they had sat down for dinner. It's sweet and crisp and he needs to remember to get Kurt to bring a juice to Dalton for in the week.

"Oh. Not too keen for the long trips hey?" Burt muses and Blaine shakes his head.

"Not overly, sir."

"It's Burt"

"Yes sir" Blaine nods his head and Kurt gives off the smallest of giggles as they finish off their dinner. Finn has already had seconds by this point, eyeing up Kurt's remaining potatoes.

"You boys coming to the Championship game?" Burt asks and Blaine looks up quickly.

"I… I didn't get tickets." He admits and Burt chuckles.

"Well I got tickets for the both of you. So, are you gonna make it?" He asks and Kurt grins.

"Of course!" he smiles and Blaine blushes just a little.

"Thank you. You didn't have to"

"The more people there to cheer on our team, the better" Burt hums and sets his knife and fork

down.

"Now… who wants dessert?"

* * *

Blaine smiles widely as he drives himself and Kurt towards the Lima Bean. So far, things were going well. Whilst he still hadn't heard from Cooper since before Christmas, the Warblers had just rehearsed their new rendition of Bills, Bills, Bills and it was sounding extremely good. Dinner at Kurt's had gone so well that Burt had told Blaine he was welcome in his home whenever he pleased, and Carole had even given Blaine a little snack pack to take back to Dalton for the following school day in case he got hungry. Kurt had been over the moon that his parents had seemed to really like Blaine.

"And Carole just thinks you're wonderful" Kurt breathes as he adjusts his scarf a little around his neck. Blaine glances over at him and grins.

"Your family is great Kurt, honest. I'm really glad that they liked me. It means that I have even more of an excuse to come over and see you on the weekends" Blaine grins and nudges Kurt's shoulder a little with his own as he pulls up into the Lima Bean carpark. Kurt remains silent as they get out, and Blaine wonders if it's because they're meeting Rachel and Mercedes.

"You know, you can talk about regionals with them. It's okay" Blaine chuckles softly and loosens the scarf he has sitting around his neck. He knows Kurt doesn't want to be labelled as a spy again by giving his old show choir any hints as to what will be happening in their upcoming competition.

"I know." Kurt smiles and the pair walk into the Lima bean, Mercedes and Rachel already in line.

"Kurt! Blaine!" Rachel grins and moves to hug the two of them whilst Mercedes gives them both a small wave.

"Hi Rachel, how have you been?" Blaine asks and immediately regrets asking when Rachel launches into a five-minute story of how she's been plotting to get Finn back as her boyfriend, but she's just not sure if it will work. Blaine tries his best to listen as Kurt and Mercedes order their coffees, and Blaine is thankful when Kurt calls out his order.

"That would be me, thank you very much" Blaine smiles and takes his coffee from Kurt, humming softly. "Now I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but you guys better be pulling out all the stops for regionals because the number we just rehearsed is so off the hook, it's dangerous." He grins as he grabs the sugar and heads over to the table with the others, taking a seat beside Kurt.

"Seriously, people should wear protective head gear when they're watching it." Kurt adds and the pair notice the almost saddened looks on the girl's faces.

"Guys, we're kidding" Kurt says softly.

"Yeah, well it's just hard to laugh right now with everything that's going on at McKinley." Rachel sighs and Mercedes gives her a small nod.

"I mean look at us, the stars of two rival show choirs, sitting down to coffee? Our school is so messed up we can't even keep our own football team together." Mercedes tells them and Blaine gives me a sympathetic smile before Rachel starts to talk.

"It's so sad you guys. Coach Beiste and Mr Schue were so close at getting everyone at the school together"

Blaine stirs his coffee as Kurt's voice rises a little in annoyance.

"Why hasn't Finn told me anything about this? I mean, we live together. I mean I bring him a glass of warm milk every night just in hopes that we'll have a little lady chat."

Blaine frowns and looks to his friend, brows furrowed a little.

"Warm milk? Really?" He hums and Kurt stares back at him.

"It's delicious"

"Finn's too proud to complain. He feels like he has to be strong for everyone, but I know it's just killing him inside." Rachel sighs and then leans over the table towards Blaine, who blinks a little at the girls as she starts to stare at him with a hint of crazy shining in her eyes.

"I hope he realises that, you know, if he and I were still together, I could make him feel a lot better you know." She breathes and Blaine isn't sure what to do, as his mouth is currently full of coffee and biscotti.

"Let it go Rachel" Kurt says at the end of his obvious eye roll. The girl sits back and sighs.

"I… I just wish that there was a way that we could help, that's all."

"Yeah" Mercedes agrees as Blaine takes another sip of his coffee. "And the worst part is how bummed the guys are. I mean they already suffer enough abuse just being in glee. I really think winning the game could have eased some of the pressure, at least for a little while" She tells them and Blaine blinks.

_The whole team quit?_

"Wait… so the whole team quit?" he asks and Rachel nods.

"Well, everybody not in glee. I mean, you can't play football with five guys… and one of them is in a wheelchair"

"Yeah, Coach Beiste put up a sign up sheet for join, I think they'll take anyone at this point" Rachel says as she drinks her coffee and Blaine swallows his.

"Well the good news is that you actually only need four more guys. High school regulations actually let you play a couple guys short if you want to." He hums and looks down at his biscotti, wishing he had ordered more. It really was quite delicious. He looks up at the girls and smiles. "But, if they figure out a way to make it work, you can bet that we'll definitely be there to cheer them on" He gestures gently between himself and Kurt, and the other boy smiles.

"Totally, Blaine and I love football. Well, Blaine loves football. I love scarves" Kurt smiles and Blaine can't help but chuckle.

"That you do" he hums, and Kurt clinks their cups together before he takes a sip. Rachel and Mercedes give each other a small glance that Blaine catches.

"Blaine… could girls play?" Rachel asks and Kurt lets out a small snort.

"You want to play football?" He breathes and Mercedes shoots him a frown.

"You played Kurt" She huffs and Blaine turns to face his friend, eyes wide.

"You played football?" he asks and watches as a small blush springs to Kurt's cheeks.

"I did. But it was very brief. And thank you for noticing, but I am a boy. Rachel here doesn't like to strain too hard to get me a pencil in class, how is she going to field a ball? And Mercedes, you actively protest against any form of physical activity that forces you to be outside" Kurt shrugs his shoulders and for some reason Blaine cannot get the idea of Kurt playing football out of his head.

_He would probably rock the uniform. Scratch that, Kurt would look hot._

"This is for the boys. I want to play." Rachel says firmly and turns her gaze back to Blaine.

"Well… as long as your coach signs off… I don't see an issue" He breathes, and Kurt sits back in his chair as the two girls share a large smile.

"I think it's ridiculous. You could get seriously hurt Rachel" Kurt sighs and sets his coffee cup down. "And whilst I do admire your strength… I don't think broken limbs are worth it" he looks at the girls and Blaine shakes his head.

"Kurt you have a point, but they don't actually have to play. They just need to be on the field. When they start they can clear off to one side or… I don't know… lay down on the grass? Then the guys can field and the other team won't hurt them" Blaine shrugs his shoulders and Mercedes smiles.

"That's not a bad idea. See Kurt, Blaine is all for it" the girl grins and Kurt remains silent, playing with his coffee cup. After a moment he rises to his feet.

"Excuse me" he says simply and leaves in the direction of the bathrooms. Rachel and Mercedes share a glance and Mercedes toys with her coffee cup.

"I think he's just feeling worried for us. Maybe I should go talk to him…" she sighs and goes to get up, but Rachel places a hand on her arm.

"No. I think we should give him space. We should go… thanks for the coffee and advice Blaine."

Rachel smiles and Blaine waves as the girls grab their coffees and bags and head off. Blaine sighs and looks towards the bathrooms, waiting a few moments before he gets up and makes his way towards them. He heads through the door and see's Kurt leaning against the sinks with his back to the mirrors, staring down at his hands.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Blaine hums and Kurt looks up quickly, giving the boy a small smile when he realises who it is before he looks back at his hands.

"It's nothing. I just…they're joining the football team. And I just know that-that they're going to be more accepted than I was" Kurt sighs and Blaine's eyebrows furrow a little in confusion.

"I don't understand"

"I made it on the team last year to impress my Dad. But it wasn't really supported. I mean, yes, I scored the winning kick, but people didn't care after that. The girls… I don't want them hurt and I'm worried for them… but I just know that the guys in glee will accept them as team mates more than they would accept me" Kurt sniffs and Blaine shakes his head, moving to stand beside the boy.

"I don't think that's true at all" he says simply and is just a little bit taken aback by the frown that Kurt gives him in response.

"Excuse me?"

"Kurt, I have met Finn. And I've met some of the other guys at sectionals… they all love you. I wouldn't worry for a second about whether or not they would accept you. Because they already have. And I don't think they would let anything happen to the girls." Blaine squeezes the boys arm softly and smiles.

"You think?"

"I do. Now… would you like to go and catch a movie? Popcorn's on me"

Kurt smiles and stands up straight.

"I'd love to"

* * *

The game goes well, and Blaine finds that he really enjoys his time with Kurt's family. They invite him out for dinner with them after the game, and he gets on well with Finn and Burt, and Carole even invites him around on the weekend for Saturday lunch. Blaine can tell that Kurt is pleased, and Blaine is glad. He's getting along so well with his new friend; everything is just falling into place.

When he's in his dorm room he looks at his calendar and sees that Valentine's Day will be upon him soon. Usually, Blaine isn't the world's biggest fan of Valentine's Day, but this year he has his eye on someone. Blaine goes to sleep, comforted by the fact that this year he could have a new best friend and a boyfriend, very, very soon.

* * *

**_Hello lovelies!_**

**_thank you all so much for your support with this story, it means so much to me! Over the Xmas break I will try to upload regularly but it might be a little hard - never fear! I will continue with this until the very end._**

**_One step closer to our boys becoming an item!_**

**_Next up, one of my favourite episodes for our boys pre-relationship - Silly Love Songs_**


	8. Chapter 8 - Silly Love Songs

_**Hey all!**_

_**Sorry for taking so long to update. Xmas and New Year has been crazy but I will definitely be keeping this story going :)**_

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

_**Silly Love Songs**_

Having Kurt board at Dalton during the week is something that Blaine enjoys. Something he _really_ enjoys. He enjoys getting up in the morning, getting ready and walking down the finely decorated hallways of the dorm rooms towards the room that Kurt shares with Trent, and finding Kurt wide awake and ready for their morning classes. He also enjoys finding Kurt after school, tired out from said classes and ready for their coffee trip to the Lima Bean. Yes, Blaine knows that the hour round trip might not be something most people would enjoy, but he certainly did. It meant that he could spend time with Kurt, sing songs with him and talk about school, friends, fashion and just general life topics. It was something he hadn't been able to convince any of the other Warbler's to do with him. And Kurt really didn't seem to mind coming along for the coffee run either.

So, a week before Valentine's day when Blaine finds himself in his car with Kurt, driving to the Lima Bean to get their much-deserved coffee, he is content. He is trying his hardest not to gush to Kurt about his potential date for Valentine's day, as he hasn't exactly figured out how he wants to ask Jerimiah out yet, but Kurt is doing a good job of distracting him anyway. He can't seem to stop talking about how excited he is for his upcoming weekend shopping trip as scarves were finally now on sale as the winter season was coming to an end.

"…and I know that you and my Dad think I have far too many, but you really can't have _too_ many scarves, Blaine. You just can't."

"Some people would beg to differ Kurt, but I'm not going to argue with you. I happen to think that you look positively adorable in your scarves"

Blaine flashes Kurt a big smile as he pulls into the parking lot of the Lima Bean, immediately taking note of the large pink hearts that have been plastered up on the windows. The Lima Bean must be a perfect little spot for a first date in Lima, so Blaine understands all the decorations for the holiday. This year, Valentine's day is going to be great for him, or so he desperately hopes. He and Kurt climb out of the car and make their way towards the café, Kurt already talking about Valentine's Day and Finn's sudden obsession with it.

"I mean… I remember last Valentine's Day. Finn was not interested to say the least, and now he's getting all this attention from all these girls and he is milking it up" Kurt jabs his finger in the air as he speaks the last three words as they line up for their coffees and Blaine shakes his head a little and smiles.

"Maybe he's just feeling romantic this year." He suggests and receives an eyeroll from his friend in return.

"Finn, romantic? The two don't fit in the same sentence Blaine. He'd probably think buying someone a pig was romantic"

Blaine laughs at that and watches as Kurt looks around the café, taking in the decorations with a furrowed brow. Blaine watches him and notices how Kurt's eyes linger a little too long on the items with the hearts, and then he's moving to pick one up. It's a cute little plushy of two puppies sitting on a heart, their noses meeting in the middle for a kiss.

_Maybe Jerimiah would like this? Is it too childish? No… it's adorable. Look at them, kissing. Maybe Jerimiah would be open to that…_

"Okay, I'm all for flair, but these Valentine's Day decorations are just tacky. I mean, what the hell's this supposed to be?"

Kurt holds up the puppies and Blaine takes it from him for a moment as he looks at it, admiring the softness of the material under his fingers. Yeah, it's definitely cute.

"It's clearly puppy love. It's cute. C'mon" he smirks and hands the plush toy back to Kurt and it squeaks out a small 'I love you' and Blaine smiles wider.

"Adorable" he hums as Kurt looks unimpressed, setting it back down with the other toys.

"That's just creepy" he sighs and moves back to Blaine in line. "It's a simple excuse to sell candy and greeting cards on a holiday" he sighs, and Blaine shakes his head, feeling just a little offended by Kurt's abrupt opinions about his new favourite holiday. Who knew Kurt was such a cynic about love?

"Not true. People have been celebrating Valentine's Day for centuries and call me a hopeless romantic, but it's my favourite holiday" Blaine admits and Kurt looks at him with a smile that appears to be laced with skepticism, and Blaine thinks this might be because not even 3 months ago, he had been harping on about how Christmas was his favourite holiday.

"Really?" he hums, and Blaine keeps going.

"I think there's something really great about a day where you're encouraged to just lay it all on the line and say to somebody… I'm in love with you" he breathes and looks at Kurt, trying to convey to him what he means, and he think Kurt gets it because his eyebrows raise just a little in understanding.

"You know?" Blaine sighs and moves forward in line, not really waiting for Kurt to reply because he's been waiting all damn day to ask Kurt's opinion about his plans and he knows if he doesn't ask now, he'll chicken out of the whole idea all together. "And this year I want to do something really radical, so I need your opinion on this… But there's this guy that I sort of… like… and I've only known him for a little while, but I want to tell him that I think my feelings are starting to change into something… deeper…" Blaine blushed softly and looked at Kurt gently before he carried on. "So, I have to ask, do you think it's too much to sing to somebody on Valentine's Day?" Blaine looks at Kurt, his eyes ever hopeful, fingers gripping tightly at the strap of his satchel. If Kurt says no, then his plan is ruined. He trusts Kurt's opinion always, because he has always been brutally honest with Blaine since day one, and Blaine loves that about him.

"Not at all" Comes Kurt's reply and Blaine looks at him for a small moment, and he can see that Kurt is being honest. In truth, he even looks a little taken by the idea, which is a telltale sign for Blaine. If Kurt can be caught up in the idea, then it must be good.

He takes a step forward when he sees that it's not their turn to order and he quickly scans the counter to see if there is anything that takes his fancy. On the top is a large plate with sugar cookies in the shape of little cupid's getting ready to fire their arrows, and Blaine thinks that they look adorable. The Barista gives him a small smile and asks what she can get for him and he starts to recite his order.

"uh- a medium drip and a Grande non-fat mocha for this guy, and maybe I can get him to split one of those cupid cookies" he smiles at the young woman behind the counter and reaches into his satchel to pull out his wallet, turning when he hears Kurt's voice.

"You know my coffee order?"

Kurt sounds so stunned and a small frown sets on his features. Of course he knows Kurt's coffee order. They come for coffee almost every second day, and it's not like he hasn't heard Kurt recite it every single time. Blaine has been raised to pay attention to these things, it's all a part of being the polite gentlemen his father had drilled into him from a young age.

"Of course I do" he hums and pulls out the ten dollar note when he knows what he owes and a small smirk makes its way onto his lips because he can _hear_ Kurt start to open his bag to find his wallet.

"Don't even bother dummy, it's on me" he says without even looking at the boy, telling the Barista to keep the change before he throws Kurt a quick smirk and goes off to collect the sugar he will be needing for once his coffee is collected. Kurt follows him after a few moments and leans against one of the pillars in the café, looking at Blaine with a strange expression on his face that Blaine can't quite pinpoint.

"So, when are you planning on singing to this mystery guy?" Kurt asks, his eyebrow raised and Blaine shrugs.

"In all honesty, I haven't really thought about the logistics. I just thought that I should do something different, and I know I can sing well, so…" he trails off and Kurt smiles at him.

"You'll be perfect. The whole idea is perfect" he practically beams and that's how Blaine knows this idea is good. They remain in silence for a few moments before Kurt's phone buzzes and he looks down at it, his eyes rolling.

"oh god… it's Mercedes. Some more gossip about the whole Rachel and Finn of it all" he batts his hand and Blaine chuckles softly and lets Kurt begin talking about how the Rachel and Finn breakup had been affecting the club and, in turn, himself, and he finds himself getting lost in the boy and his dramatic movements and he just feels _happy_. Happy to have such a good friend like Kurt.

* * *

"I say go for it squirt."

"Don't call me that Coop!"

"Stop complaining and listen to me. You called for my advice, did you not?"

Blaine sighs as he sits on the end of his bed, phone next to him on loudspeaker, his laptop open in front of him with a large list of love songs on the screen. He'd been pondering all morning in class over whether he should actually be doing this and had decided to spend his lunch hour back in the dorms to really go over his plan. The plan to sing to someone for Valentine's Day, that someone being a man. The only person in his life he knew had any success in charming the pants of someone was his brother. He couldn't count on his fingers the times that Cooper had brought home a girl in the late hours of the night, telling Blaine it was all thanks to his charm and quick wit. Blaine had no idea if that was true, but Cooper was his best hope. Those of his friends who had girlfriends had either been with them since middle school or had just asked them out at parties or over a cup of coffee. This was different. This wasn't some high school crush; Jerimiah was a _man_. And Blaine needed to act like one, and as much as he loved his Dad, he was definitely _not_ about to ask him for dating advise, they weren't at that level yet.

"I did…"

"So, you said you wanted to sing to this guy. I would suggest doing it at his place of work"

Blaine blinks at Cooper's suggestion, staring at the phone on his bed.

"Why?"

"Because he'll be there at a scheduled time, it will totally surprise him and who doesn't love a flash mob?"

"I guess you're right… but I was just going to record myself singing a song, maybe 'Truly Madly Deeply' by Savage Garden' Then I was going to just give it to him with some chocolates." Blaine can feel himself blushing at the very thought of walking into the Gap after school, chocolates in one hand and a CD in the other.

_How could he resist? It's simple and charming._

"God no"

Cooper's response is instant, and it makes Blaine frown.

"I'm sorry?"

"Blaine, you can't sing that song. What are you, a middle-aged woman? No, you have to appeal to him by using what you have. The Anderson charm Blaine. You have to tap into that, and I have the perfect song for you. It never fails me. I'll send it to you; I have to go squirt"

"Cooper!"

All Blaine receives is a laugh from his brother before the call is ended. He lets out a long sigh and sits back against his pillows, closing his laptop. Maybe Cooper is right. Maybe he should be heeding his advice. He closes his eyes and just breathes for a few minutes. Maybe he should speak to Kurt, get his help in choosing which song he should sing to Jerimiah. Kurt had said that it was a good idea to sing to someone on Valentine's Day, so surely, he would have some idea of song selection. He picks up his phone and sends a text to Kurt quickly.

**Hey, opinion time. What do you think of 'Truly Madly Deeply? Is it too much? -B**

Blaine sets his phone down and begins to gather up his things again. He has fifteen minutes until his English class and he just knows that he isn't really going to be able to concentrate, not until he's at least picked a song. He just finished packing his bag when his phone dings and he opens it.

**Not if that's how you really feel. Go with your heart -K**

Blaine smiles at the message and another pops up from Cooper, with a song attached and he hits play and by the end of the thing he is blushing. God, he needs help.

* * *

Just as Blaine had predicted, English had been tough. He had been tossing up the entire time if he should be singing the song he had originally chosen, or the one that Cooper had sent to him. Eventually he had decided to let the Warblers make that decision for him. They always did enjoy a good vote. After class he spots Wes walking down the hall and he hurries over to him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Oh, hey Blaine. Are you going to Thad's later for video game night?" the taller boy asks, and Blaine makes a mental note to ask Kurt if he's interested.

"I'm undecided. I just need to check with…"

"With Kurt?" Wes chuckles and Blaine rolls his eyes.

"Yes, with Kurt. Is there something wrong with that?" he muses, and Wes shakes his head.

"Not at all. You two are practically joined at the hip, and I did figure that it would get worse leading up to V-Day" he chuckles and Blaine blushes, shoving his friend a little as they walk.

"Don't be stupid. Anyway, I wanted to ask you a favour"

"Shoot"

"I want to call an emergency council meeting. I have something that I want to… to ask" Blaine looks at Wes as his friend turns to face him, a slight look of shock on his face.

"Done" he smiles and claps Blaine on the shoulder. "3pm, I'll message everyone. You can collect Kurt" he grins at him and Blaine chooses to leave him, giving him the finger as he leaves, and Wes just laughs harder.

After his final class for the day, Blaine drops his bag off in the senior commons and heads out into the hall in search for Kurt. It's doesn't take long to find him, the boy curled up on one of the fine hallway leather chairs, doodling in a note pad. Blaine smiles as he sees him, taking in the daydreaming look on his friend's face.

"Hey," he calls, smiling as Kurt looks up at him, closing his notebook immediately. "Watcha doin?" Blaine hums and stops in front of him.

"Nothin! Just daydreamin. Plotting weekend outfits" Kurt breathes and Blaine looks at him, slightly nervous for the meeting to come.

"Well, come on. You're going to want to see this. I've called an emergency meeting of the Warbler's Council."

Kurt gets to his feet and grabs his bag, hardly taking his eyes off Blaine.

"Ooh, sounds serious" he hums and Blaine moved to place his hands on Kurt's shoulders as they walk, giving them a small squeeze.

"Let's hope not. I just need to ask them a tiny little favour" he smiles, and Kurt gives him a look that contains a raised brow.

"A favour that involves our wonderful harmonic tones? Or a favour that requires the combined group strength of the Warblers?" Kurt chuckles softly as Blaine walked them down into the senior commons, a few of the other members already there.

"I'm going to go with the first one" Blaine responds and sets Kurt bag down for him, guiding him over to the sofa in the centre of the room. He sits himself down in the leather chair that sits beside the Council table as the Warblers begin to talk amongst themselves.

_This is going to be fine. They're going to help you. No one will think your ideas are stupid. You just need to tell them the situation, no one is going to judge you. These guys are our friends and they all know you're gay. You asked them to advice on Simon! You're going to be fine…_

"This emergency meeting is called to order," Wes banging his gavel seems to snap Blaine out of his thoughts and he does a quick scan of the room. Most people who said they could make it seem to be here, and he relaxes his shoulders just a little. "Junior member Blaine Anderson, the floor is yours."

Blaine rises to his feet and fixes his blazer before he moves to stand beside the wooden desk.

"Esteemed council, I'll be brief." Blaine lets out a small breath and looks around the room at his Warbler brothers. He can do this. "Simply put - I'm in love."

The responses come in little bursts, some _oohs_ and _congrats_ and his makes Blaine blush, but the way his friends are looking at him gives him just a little more hope than he'd had before.

"I'm not really good at talking about my feelings, I'm much better at singing them. But still, I could use a little help. Which is why I'm asking to enlist The Warblers to help serenade this individual… in song… off-campus."

The moment the words are out of Blaine's mouth, the reaction is instant. He sees the looks on his brothers' faces, some of them confused, others looking almost offended.

"_What? - Off-campus? - Yeah, right -No way-_ _Uh-uh -Are you serious?_"

Blaine heard Wes bang his gavel again and he raised his hands and his voice.

" I- I know what I'm asking is slightly unusual…" Blaine begins in a louder voice, but is cut off by Wes, who is looking practically appalled.

"The Warblers haven't performed in an informal setting since 1927 when the Spirit of St. Louis overshot the tarmac and ploughed through seven Warblers during an impromptu rendition of 'Welcome to Ohio, Lucky Lindy'" the boy looks solemn and Blaine

"Why would we even consider what you're asking?' David looks at Blaine and the boy takes in a deep breath before he responds.

"I firmly believe that our reticence to perform in public nearly cost us a trip to regionals. We're becoming privileged, porcelain birds…"

"You mock us, sir!" Thad cried and Wes frowns as the other boys begin to speak louder, all clearly offended by what Blaine is saying.

"Thad, David, I will have order!" Wes speaks firmly.

"May I please say something?"

It's Kurt who speaks up, and Blaine looked over at him with both curiously and gratefulness in his eyes. At least he knows that Kurt is onboard with his idea, and that gives him a small sense of comfort.

"With respect, I believe Blaine has a point. The Warblers are so concerned with image and tradition that sometimes I feel like we miss out on opportunities to step outside our comfort zones." Kurt began to explain, on his feet, looking around the room at the rest of the Warblers. "When I was on New Directions, we performed in front of hostile crowds pretty much anywhere we went. I mean, mattress stores, shopping malls. I had a cat thrown at me in a nursing home once. But it- It gave us confidence. It kept us loose." He smiles almost encouragingly, and Blaine looks over to the Council.

"And where would this performance take place?"

"The Gap at the North Hills mall. I'd like to call it 'The Warblers' Gap Attack'" Blaine flashes his fingers and looks over at Kurt as he speaks up.

"Why the Gap?"

"The guy that I like is a junior manager" Blaine grins and he looks over at Wes.

"All those in favour?"

Hands start to rise around the room and Blaine bites his lip to stop his smile from growing any bigger. His friends are onboard.

"Alright then, we'll discuss songs during rehearsals tomorrow." Wes dismisses everyone with a bang of his gavel and a few of them hurry over to Blaine to clap his shoulder or to wolf whistle at him and by the time they filter out he is blushing madly. He notices Kurt walk by him and he reaches out to grab the boy's elbow, and when Kurt turns around, he frowns.

"Hey… are you okay?" he asks, and Kurt takes a moment to sigh before he nods.

"Just peachy. I actually have to go. Emergency girl's night at Rachel's house. Sorry, I won't be able to get coffee today" Kurt gives him a weak smile and Blaine frowns a little more.

"You sure it's just that?" he asks and Kurt nods, adjusting his strap on his shoulder.

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow" Kurt flashes him a brighter smile before he hurries out of the room, leaving Blaine alone with Wes and David.

"So, Blaine. What the hell?" Wes huffs and Blaine turns to face his friend, folding his arms across his chest.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I… you just sprung that bomb on us! And some warning would be nice. Also, you haven't mentioned this new crush to us- any of us" Wes looks over at David for support, his nods and folds his arms across his chest as he leans back against the Council table. Blaine feels as if he's being scolded.

"I'm sorry? I didn't think I needed to share every detail of my life with you" he says, a little defensive. He has no idea why his friends are suddenly being so hostile towards him. He was in love, were they not happy about that?

"You don't, but I remember when you couldn't stop gushing about Simon…"

"That was different" Blaine cuts him off and Wes raises an eyebrow at him.

"Is it? And from what I saw, it looked like even Kurt had no clue about all of this"

At that, Blaine frowns.

_Kurt? What does Kurt have to do with this?_

"Should he?"

"Well, yeah? You spend almost every minute that you aren't with us- with him. You're glued to the hip" David speaks up and Blaine lets out a small sigh.

"I didn't tell Kurt and I didn't tell you. I've actually only spoken to Cooper about him. I didn't want to make the same mistake I did with Simon. I went in too hard, too fast and it didn't work. I was clueless"

"And you think that singing to this guy in his place of work is the way to go?" Wes asks and Blaine bites down in his lower lip.

"I thought so…" he trails off and looks between his two friends. They had been there for him so much since he'd transferred to Dalton, and he always trusted their opinion.

"Well… it's certainly a bold choice. I'll give you that" Wes sighs and folded his arms across his chest, looking at Blaine for a long moment before he legs his arms drop to his side.

"Sorry if we seem put off, we aren't. And we are happy for you, right David?"

David nods in agreement and places a hand on Blaine's shoulder, squeezing it softly.

"Of course, we are. Just a little shocked. We thought…" David looks to Wes and Wes shakes his head gently and the entire exchange has Blaine's eyebrows shooting up a little.

"You thought…what?" he asks, folding his arms over his chest as he waits for his friends to respond. They share yet another glance between then before Wes smiles.

"We just thought it would be the manager of a 'Brooks Brothers', if anywhere" he lightly shoves the boy and Blaine grins at that, rolling his eyes as he loosens his arms from his chest.

"Yeah, well- we can't all be winners, can we?"

* * *

Over the next few days the Warblers practice their 'Gap Attack' performance as best as they can without being in the actual performing area, and Blaine is excited for it. They sound fantastic and despite some of the boy's reservations about Cooper's song choice, they give it their all and the images in Blaine's head of Jerimiah practically going weak in the knees from his gesture are extremely vivid and not at all deterring. On the day of the performance, Kurt agrees to drive Blaine to the Gap so that he can practice his vocal runs with full concentration, and that was exactly what he'd spent the entire car ride doing. Wes texts him to let him know that he and a few of the other Warblers are already in the store, feigning shopping for some new ties and socks whilst some of the others are still on their way in. They decide to leave their coats and scarves in their respective cars as opposed to leaving them at the front of the store, and they hurry into the Gap, slotting themselves into the different sections. Blaine finds himself standing with Kurt, sifting through some shirts as he looks around for any sign of Jerimiah. His palms are a little sweaty and he can hear his heartbeat thrumming away in his ears.

"Well, at least it's nice and warm in here" Kurt comments as he idly flicks through some shirts, Blaine looking over at him with a small smile.

"Thank you for doing this, Kurt. You didn't have to come" he tells him and watches as Kurt shrugs his shoulders.

"We're all here for you Blaine. Why do you think… that I wouldn't want to come?" Kurt raises his eyebrow and it's Blaine's turn to shrug as he turns back to look at a red button-down shirt, fingers running along the collar.

"You just haven't seemed too into the idea since we started rehearsals. Which is a little odd considering you were all for me performing here. Is… is it because of your strange aversion to Valentine's Day?" Blaine asks and looks up at Kurt, who has now stepped back from the shirts and his making his way over towards the jeans and jackets section. Blaine follows and stations himself at a row of identical looking brown jackets.

"I don't have a strange aversion to Valentine's Day," Kurt replies as he picks up a light grey jumper, looking over it with slight interest. "I guess I just had… a little time to think about the situation. It's bold but this is what you want to do, so who am I to judge?" he queries, and Blaine gives him a quick nod, looking around the store again to see if he can spot Jerimiah. A smile spreads onto his lips when he sees him standing across the other side of the walkway, folding a pile of read sweaters.

"That's him," he nods over in the boy's direction for Kurt to take a look for himself, a dreamy look on his features. "The blonde one folding sweaters" he breathes and continues to flick through the jackets, not paying them the slightest amount of attention. How can he when Jerimiah is standing right there, looking so damn dreamy?

"Mmm, I can see the appeal. That's quite a head of hair." Kurt responds and Blaine lets out the softest of sighs.

"His name is Jeremiah. If he and I got married, The Gap would give me a 50% discount." He says the words in a dreamy state and once they leave his lips, it hits him.

_Marriage? You've known this guy for what, a month? He's older, he's smarter, he's hotter and he probably has much higher aspirations than dating a sophomore at some prep school in Ohio. You really think singing to this guy is romantic? You failed romance with Simon, you'll fail here, and you'll end up alone. Like you always do. Get a grip Anderson._

He feels his heart start racing even more than it already was and he starts to shake his head.

He's panicking.

"This is insane…I don't know what I'm doing. We haven't even really gone out on a date. We- We shouldn't do this." Blaine breathes and turns on his heel to walk right passed Kurt, the tiniest bit shocked when Kurt's arms come out to stop him in his tracks.

"Okay, come on, come on. Man up. You're amazing…he's gonna love you."

Kurt spins him around and pushes him out of the way of the jackets, towards the walkway and Blaine takes in a few deep breathes, allowing Kurt's words to soothe his momentary panic. He can do this. He knows he can, because this is a performance and performing is what he does best. Putting on a brave face for the world when on the inside he wants to run… Blaine knows how to do that better than most people. He looks over and spots Wes and he gives him the signal to start. His eyes slip closed and he points himself forward, adjusts his Dalton blazer, takes a deep breath and then he's there. He's in the zone. His eyes open and he takes a step forward and he's no longer Blaine Anderson, worrying schoolboy. He's Blaine Anderson, lead vocalist of the Dalton Academy Warblers, strong, confident and sexy.

A smirk present on his lips, he starts to sing.

The Warblers sound fantastic and Blaine thinks that he himself does a particularly good job, considering that they have never performed quite like this before. He moves around the store, utilising the space he has like any good artist would, his eyes on Jerimiah the whole time. He makes sure that he's loud, clear, in perfect pitch. The Warbler's move around him in their own slightly improvised routine and Blaine is fairly sure that he can see the other customers in the store bopping and swaying along. Some of them even start clapping. He makes a mental note to thank Cooper for this because there is no way that this isn't working. Jerimiah seems to look like he's enjoying this too, a small smile on the corner of his lips and Blaine can't wait to invite him for coffee after this. Their first _real_ date. The young man actually looks speechless at some points of the performance and Blaine finds himself wondering if it would be too much to ask security for a copy of the CCTV footage. As he slides onto his knees for the final part of the song, getting back up with a charming smirk, a pair of socks in his hand, his heart races and he knows he's done it. He's finished and he's made his grand gesture and Jerimiah will soon be his.

_His_.

He grins at him and sets the socks down on the counter as the customers around them clap and cheer. Some of them even make their way over to Blaine and clap him on the shoulder and the back, shake his hand and tell him that it was a fantastic performance. He eats it up and grins even wider. His fellow Warblers share in the praise too and Blaine turns to Jerimiah.

"Hey" he hums, and the young man looks at him for a long moment before he picks up the socks and scans them through with a _beep_.

"Blaine… I really think that we…" Jerimiah gets cut off by the sound of his name being called out and Blaine follows his gaze to where an older man now stands, a little on the tubby and balding side, hands on his hips. Jerimiah lets out a small sigh and processes Blaine's socks, putting them into a bag as Blaine hands over his card. He swipes it through, and Blaine takes it back before Jerimiah leaves the counter without so much as a goodbye. Blaine blinks a little and before he can even attempt to call after the young man, a hand is on his shoulder and someone is speaking to him.

"… that was fantastic! How much do you guys charge?"

Blaine looked up at the older gentlemen wearing a beanie and blue scarf and he blinks a few times.

"I'm sorry? Charge?" he asks, and the man nods enthusiastically.

"You're a performance troupe, right? The kind that get paid to sing to people on the holidays? I just know my wife would love to have you guys serenade her for Valentine's day! How much did that guy's missus pay you?" the mans asks with a bright smile and Blaine processes this thought for a moment.

_Of course, he thinks we were paid. Why would he think that I was singing to Jerimiah because I love him? This is Ohio for god sake…. Count your lucky stars Anderson that he's so naïve…._

Blaine's thoughts are interrupted by Wes' hand coming down on his shoulder and he forces a smile at the polite man in front of him.

"Sorry… favour for a friend. We don't take payments" he tells him and the man sighs and thanks him for his time before he walks away and Wes is pulling Blaine out of the line and over to one of the racks, the rest of the Warblers hurrying over to give their congratulations on the success of the number. Blaine smiles at them all and shakes their hands and accepts their hugs and his eyes eventually find Kurt. The boy is standing at the back of the group, smiling softly as he fixes his perfectly pressed blazer and Blaine makes his way over to him.

"Hey" he smiles, and Kurt meets his gaze with ease.

"Hey. You sounded flawless, as always." the boy hums and Blaine smiles and shakes his head a little at the compliment.

"_We_ sounded flawless. I… well I just hope it was enough. Would-would you stay with me? Until Jerimiah's shift is over? It's supposed to be ending soon… that's sort of why I decided this time was good" he tries to say it casually but understands how much of a creeper he might seem like at this moment. If Kurt's thoughts echoed his fears, he doesn't show it. Instead, the boy smiles at him and gives him a nod.

"Of course."

The pair bid goodbye to the rest of the Warblers, and Blaine promises to give them all the juicy details as soon as he can. When it is finally just Kurt and Blaine, they head to Kurt's car to collect their coats and scarves and Blaine shoves his beanie onto his head after having offered it to Kurt at least three times, only to be rejected due to Kurt not wanting his hair ruined by the fabric. They walk together to the waiting area outside the mall and Blaine rubs his hands over his thighs.

"We sounded good… right?" he asks Kurt as the boy rubs his own legs to keep warm as the bitter breeze blows around them.

"Honestly Blaine, we all sounded fantastic. If there is any issue at all… I don't think it's going to be with the vocals" Kurt tells him and Blaine looks at Kurt with a slightly worried expression on his face.

"Was it too much?" he asks, and Kurt continues to rub over his legs, raising his eyebrow in response to the boy's query, a pointed look being sent his way.

_Shit_.

"It was too much" Blaine sighs and shuffled a little on his seat, looking away from Kurt. He debates internally as to whether he should leave now with his tail between his legs, or if he should wait around and talk to Jerimiah.

_Maybe it wasn't that bad. Maybe Kurt was just upset that someone didn't serenade him for Valentine's Day…_

His train of thought is ruined when the store door opens, and Jerimiah comes walking out and Blaine's stomach starts to flutter wildly. He gets to his feet, takes a small breath in and smiles widely at the young man, shoving his hands into his pockets again to keep them warm.

"Jerimiah… hey" he breathes, and the young man walks over to him, tugging his hood up onto his curls and Blaine keeps the smile on his face, though his eyes are starting to fill with worry.

"What the hell were you doing?" he asks, and Blaine feels his heart start to beat even faster in his chest and he is fairly certain he can hear it in his ears.

He responds with a casual 'what?' and Jerimiah just gives him a look that seems to be laced with disdain and Blaine finds the smile on his lips fading fast.

"I just got fired."

_Fuck_.

"You can't just bust a groove in the middle of somebody else's workplace"

"But they loved it…" Blaine begins and is almost immediately cut off and he starts to feel like a young boy being told off for not sharing his crayons in class.

"Well, my boss didn't. Neither did I."

At that, Blaine feels his stomach churn and he looks down at his shoes and Jerimiah keeps on talking.

"No one here knows I'm gay".

And at that, Blaine feels ten times worse. Had he just outed someone? Had he really just gone and changed someone's life -potentially for the worse- just because he wanted to try his hand at a little romance? Where was his head? He looks at the man in front of him and goes to say something, anything, but Kurt beats him to it.

"Can I be honest? Just with the hair, I think they do"

Blaine knows that Kurt is trying to make the situation lighter -or at least he hopes he is- but Jerimiah just ignored the comment and turns his attention back to the saddened and embarrassed boy in front of him.

"Blaine let's just be clear here…you and I got coffee twice. We're not dating."

_Of course. Of course we're not dating…. Only a fool would think we were…_

"If we were, I'd get arrested, 'cause you're underage."

Jerimiah pats his shoulder and tugs his jacket a little bit tighter to himself and casts Blaine one final look of pity before he walks away.

Blaine is lost for words. This really was _not_ how he saw his day ending. He turns around and looks at Kurt, who is giving him a look of pity also and Blaine feels his heart sink even further into his stomach.

"If its any consolation… his sense of fashion was severely lacking anyway" Kurt tells him and Blaine sighs softly, shaking his head as he tries his darndest not to cry.

"It's not"

Kurt nods and gets to his feet, walking over to Blaine until they stand face to face. He reaches out a gloved hand and lets it rest on the top of Blaine's arm. He gives it a light squeeze and forces a smile and Blaine takes in a deep breath and lets it out.

"I really thought he would like it"

Kurt just nods and keeps his hand there, smiling sadly at Blaine until Blaine can't take it anymore.

"Do you mind if we leave?" he asks, and Kurt removes his hand, folding his arms over his chest.

"Sure. You don't want to get a hot chocolate or something before we go?"

Blaine shakes his head and Kurt nods once, adjusting his scarf before he looks around and carefully slips his arm through Blaine's, walking with him back towards his car. Blaine is too sad to even care. They walk in silence and Blaine climbs into the passenger seat of the car, taking off his beanie. He shoves it into his bag and ruffles his half-gelled curls, staring out of the window as Kurt begins the drive to his house. Blaine hears the radio turn on and hears Kurt's soft, angelic voice singing along but he doesn't join in.

"Blaine… do you want to talk about it?"

Kurt is looking at him with a worried expression on his face, but Blaine just shakes his head.

"Not right now, if that's okay"

"Of course"

They sit in silence with each other for the rest of the ride to Dalton and when they pull up in the parking lot, Blaine thanks the heavens above that none of the other Warblers appear to be waiting by their cars.

"Thanks for the ride. I-I'll see you tomorrow" he sighs and unclips his seatbelt, reaching for the door before he feels Kurt's hand on his arm. He turns back to face his friend and watches at Kurt gives him a small smile.

"He's a fool, Blaine." He says simply and Blaine forces a smile onto his lips, mumbling a goodbye before he hurries out of the car with his things, heading quickly over towards the dorms. He doesn't look back at Kurt as he hears the boy exit the car himself. Blaine makes it into the dorm building and hurries down to his own room and heads inside, finding it to be empty. He rids himself of his jacket and scarf, taking off his shoes to stack them neatly on the shoe rack beside the door. He moves over to his bed, running his fingers over the smooth sheets before he falls onto them, sobbing into his pillows as the tears come flowing. He doesn't cry for long, or too hard. He doesn't ache like he thought one would when they lose a love. His chest doesn't constrict so he finds it hard to breathe, his stomach doesn't twist into knots so badly he feels like he could throw up and his eyes don't burn with an unending redness. Instead, he just has a small headache and a sniffly nose. His phone buzzes after a little while and he fumbles it out of his pocket, wiping his eyes as he rolled over onto his back to read the messages.

_**David – 3:55pm  
Hey man! How did it go? Did you get his number? **_

_**Wes – 3:57pm  
Blaine! Details! **_

_**Mum – 4:02pm  
Won't be home this weekend darling, but will call when I can xx **_

Blaine sighs and shoots of a quick reply to his Mum and then closes his phone. He'll tell everyone tomorrow. For now, he really wants nothing more than to be alone and when his roommate comes back later that night, Blaine is already sound asleep.

* * *

"Well… I suppose it could have been the song" David sighs as he stands outside the Lima Bean with Blaine, Wes and Nick, the four boys wrapped from head to toe as the wind blusters around them.

"Oh yeah, it was definitely a forward song. I wouldn't say it had anything to do with you as a person Blaine…"

"Nick. Please. It's fine, I know that it wasn't just the song… he wasn't into me," Blaine says simply and shrugs his shoulders, adjusting his scarf a little around his neck before he pulls his pocket watch from out of his pocket. Kurt is only a few minutes late. "He's older and far more mature, and he deserves better than a preppy high school kid. Simple as that" Blaine forces a smile at his friends and he really is thankful for them. He'd broken the news to his brothers that morning and since his actual brother hadn't bothered yet to find out how things had gone and didn't know about Blaine's heartache, the Warblers has been a real asset in his healing. He still sometimes found himself stunned by how supportive the group was of him, and on days like today, it really warmed him from the inside out.

"Don't say that Blaine. You're more than that and you deserve someone who sees that. Someone-someone who would swoon at the very thought of you serenading them, no matter the song choice" Wes smacks him kindly on the back and flashes him a smile that Blaine returns.

"Yeah, screw Gap man," Nick grins. "You don't need someone who doesn't appreciate you Blaine. Besides, you'll find someone when you least expect it. That's how it works, right?" the boy looks around at the other boys and they all nod along.

"Sure"

Blaine grips his bag a little tighter and smiles when he hears hurried footsteps coming towards them.

"Sorry! My scarf got caught in my seatbelt" Kurt smiles as he stops beside the group of boys, cheeks just a little flushed in the cold, gripping his bag on his shoulder. Wes claps his arm and returns the smile.

"No problem. We were just keeping Blaine company for you. We're off to look for some sheet music" he nods his head towards David and Nick, and they bid Kurt and Blaine goodbye, hurrying off in the other direction.

"Did I forget to shower or something?" Kurt asks as he and Blaine turn and begin to walk to the doors of the Lima Bean, heading into the warmth inside.

"No," Blaine smiles lightly at the boy and adjusts the bag strap on his shoulder a little as they get into line. "I think it might actually be me that's the problem. Apparently, I'm not my usual chipper self today" he shrugs his shoulders and rolls his eyes a little and Kurt offers him a small smile.

"Maybe a coffee will give you some high spirits" he hums and moves forward in the line.

"I don't know. I just… I really thought it would work, you know?" he looks at Kurt with a small frown on his face. He knows it's stupid, but it's only been a day since he got his heart trodden on, and he feels like he's allowed at least 24 more hours of despair and anger before it becomes old news. He looks around the coffee shop and his eyes settle on a stack of Valentine's Day themed mugs. He gets a sour taste in his mouth and his eyebrows immediately furrow.

"Ugh. Don't they have anything here that isn't covered with stupid little hearts?" Blaine asks, a look of distain clear on his features.

"Gross" he shakes his head and lets out a huff, gripping his bag strap even tighter.

"Well, you've certainly changed your tune" Kurt sighs and Blaine stares ahead at the floor, his head flashing full of images of Jerimiah's disappointed face, how unimpressed and unexcited he had been by the whole thing. It just makes him feel angry and hurt even more.

"I don't think I've ever made that big a fool of myself, which is really saying something, because I've performed at theme parks." Blaine huffs out a little louder before he takes in a breath of air.

_But you weren't hopelessly in love with any of the patrons at those theme parks, were you Anderson?_

"I just- I can't believe I made it all up in my head."

He shakes his head and frowns even harder, berating himself for being so stupid.

_You did the same with thing with James and look how that turned out. Stupid, stupid boy…._

"Okay, can I ask you something? Because we've always been completely honest with each other"

Blaine tears himself away from his thoughts and looks up at Kurt, the boy's expression giving him pause. He looks almost saddened, worried, nervous and hopeful all in one and Blaine waits for Kurt to fill the silence with his question. And he does.

"You and I… we hang out. We sing flirty duets together…you know my coffee order. Was I supposed to think that- that was nothing?"

_What? Nothing…What? No… no this isn't happening._

"What do you mean?" Blaine asks lamely, eyes flickering over Kurt's face as the boy closes his eyes and breathes for a moment, clearly mustering up some form of courage to say what he says next.

"I thought the guy that you wanted to ask out on Valentine's Day... was me."

_Fuck. _

Blaine looks away from Kurt's soft expression and steps forward in line, not focusing on anything in particular as his head starts to bang a little.

_Blaine Anderson you absolute idiot! Kurt! KURT! How the fuck did you not see this? What the hell is wrong with you? -Great, you've probably gone and hurt him now too! -Oh god, he thought it was him! He thought that you wanted to sing to him at the Gap… to serenade HIM with the Warblers, a big romantic gesture that of course Kurt deserves because Kurt is wonderful and kind and you, Sir, are a fool!_

"Wow," He breathes and takes a moment, shoving his thoughts into a box he will definitely need to unpack later. "I really am clueless."

_Don't mess this up. Think before you speak. Tell him that you're honoured, flattered, privileged to have him care for you like this… don't fuck this up Anderson… you can't hurt him. Not Kurt._

_Be honest._

"Look, Kurt," Blaine sighs and looks up at the boy in front of him, registering for the first time just how much hope and longing swims in his blue eyes, and he immediately feels a pang of guilt in his chest. "I don't know what I'm doing. I pretend like I do, and I know how to act it out in song, but the truth is… I've never really been anyone's boyfriend." Blaine sighs and watches as Kurt offers him a weak smile, eyes shining back at him.

"Me neither."

Kurt gives him a small smile and Blaine looks away for a moment. He can't lead Kurt on. He can't give him hope where there isn't any.

_Isn't there?_

He bats the thought away just as quickly and faces Kurt once more.

"Let me be really clear about something. I really, really care about you… but as you and about 20 mortified shoppers saw- I'm not very good at romance. I don't wanna screw this up."

_You are so important to me, Kurt. You're my best friend._

"So, it's just like When Harry Met Sally," Kurt quips. "but I get to play Meg Ryan."

"Deal."

Blaine lets his eyes settle on Kurt and he notices that the boy's eyes are now glistening slightly, and he feels absolutely awful. The silence settles between them and all he really wants to do is pull Kurt into his chest and hug him, apologise for being a world class idiot and for unintentionally leading him on. He wants to go back to the start and be the friend that Kurt deserved, the _clear_ friend. One who didn't flaunt his Valentine's Day plans in Kurt's face, and _oh god_, he really had rubbed salt in the wound, hadn't he? Kurt's words sink in a little and Blaine readjusts his strap, stepping forward as the customer in front of them finishes paying and moves off to the side.

"Don't they, uh, get together in the end?" He asks and Kurt doesn't respond. Instead he steps forward and smiles at the Barista.

"Could I get a non-fat mocha and a medium drip for my friend, Billy Crystal?"

Blaine smirks just a little at the comment and he can't help but give Kurt a look because Kurt is just so wonderful. As far as Blaine can tell, Kurt has just admitted something very big to him, and he knows how hard it can be to get Kurt to open up. He's been slowly managing it for months now. And here Kurt is, making slightly flirtatious jokes with him right after a potential kick in the heart.

_He's the best person I know._

"Ah, you know my coffee order."

"You know what," Kurt hums and looks at him with a slightly mischievous look on his face. "I think I got something for us to do on Valentine's Day."

Blaine looks at him for a small moment as Kurt turns to pay for the coffees.

"Well, as long as it's not recreating a rather mature scene from that film then I'm sure I will be open" Blaine smiles and the pair move off to the side to wait for their drinks.

"As tempting as that is… I was thinking of hosting a dinner" Kurt looks at him and links his own fingers together, resting them on top of his bag.

"Go on."

"A 'lonely hearts' dinner, if you will. At Breadstix, for those who are single and need something to do for the night. We could have a little stage show of classic love songs…" Kurt trails off and shrugs. "It's just a thought"

"I think that sounds great. You can count me in. And I'm sure that the Warblers would be more than happy to help out, considering we've now broken our rule of public performances" Blaine grins and he grabs their drinks then they're ready, handing Kurt his cup. Blaine takes a sip and walks Kurt over towards one of the tables, the pair sitting down opposite each other.

"It wasn't a bad performance Blaine. At the Gap. I mean… the song choice was definitely lacking but it was fun" Kurt shrugs his shoulders and Blaine plays a little with the top of his coffee cup.

"I-I'm sorry, Kurt" he says and looks up at the boy, watching as he raises his delicate eyebrow.

"For what?"

"For being… so completely oblivious to your feelings. I'm supposed to be your friend and I just did not clue in at all." Blaine sighs and rubs a hand over his face, frowning a little when he feels Kurt's own hand pulling his fingers away. He looks up and can see that Kurt is giving him a warm smile.

"Blaine… don't beat yourself up over this. It's okay. It really isn't that big of a deal, and I really don't want things to be weird between us. Because… we aren't just friends" Kurt sighs and Blaine frowns a little at that.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I like to think that we might be almost best friends, at this point?" Kurt smiles a little weaker and Blaine looks at him for a moment, something expanding in his chest at that. He wraps his fingers around Kurt's and squeezes gently.

"What would Mercedes say?" he teases, and Kurt rolls his eyes, squeezing his hand again before he lets go to take another sip from his coffee.

"I think she'll be okay" he hums and Blaine bites down on his lip.

"And… we'll be okay too?"

"Always"

* * *

The weekend comes and goes in a flash, majority of the time spent rehearsing with the Warblers for Kurt's first 'Lonely Hearts Club Dinner' and Blaine finds that he has a great time. Now that he knows about Kurt, he finds that the boy is a lot more open and comfortable around him. They don't bring up the topic again, and Blaine does his best to shove the very thought of Jerimiah from his head. He doesn't need that kind of negativity in his life, not when he has such positives to focus on anyway. He practices into the night to make sure that his vocals are on point for Kurt because the last thing he would ever want to do is disappoint a friend. He even tries to get Kurt to sing the lead, but the boy is adamant on him singing at least two of the songs as the lead vocalist.

The morning of Valentine's Day comes and goes, and then so does the afternoon. Some of the Warblers duck out after school to go and visit their partners before they are summoned to Breadstix, but Blaine spends the whole day with Kurt. They study together and they ride to the Lima Bean and then to Breadstix together, singing songs on the radio and talking about the latest gossip they'd heard around Dalton that day. Kurt even fills Blaine in on the drama he's been fed by Mercedes and Rachel about the goings on at McKinley, and Blaine genuinely feels like a part of that little group. Kurt even made a little chat for the four of them to gossip in.

At Breadstix Blaine makes sure not to overshadow Kurt. He lets him make his speech and he sings Silly Love Songs, making his way around the restaurant, flirting innocently with Kurt here and there as he goes, because that is something that they do. The Warblers sound fantastic and he can see that everyone is having a good time with them, and it warms him on the inside. They sing a few more songs and soon Blaine finds himself seated at a booth with Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel, Tina and Mike, all of them huddled close together. He and Kurt are shaking a large strawberry milkshake and Blaine can't help but feel completely content about everything.

"… and some of your moves are totally killer" Mike finishes complimenting Blaine and the rest of the Warblers performance at sectionals and Blaine grins at him.

"You're one to talk. Valerie was amazing! We would be so lucky to have you at Dalton"

"Hey now white boy! Don't go poaching our Dance Master" Mercedes warns him, and Rachel giggles, batting her hand in the girl's direction.

"Don't be silly Mercedes. I'm sure Blaine is just teasing. Right, Blaine?" Rachel looks at him and her face starts to change from happy to suddenly worried.

"Of course," Blaine smiles and looks over at the girl. "I wouldn't dream of it. I wouldn't want us to win without a challenge now, would I?" Blaine raises an eyebrow and Kurt almost chokes on his milkshake as they table goes quiet and then they all laugh, grinning like fools as they start to tease each other, even Rachel smiles fondly at Blaine, and that's when he knows. Knows that this is what it's supposed to feel like. He feels happy and accepted and he's amongst a group of new friends and somehow it seems so much better than he could have ever imagined his Valentine's Day being. He looks over at Kurt – who is laughing along with everyone, cheeks pink and eyes crinkling in the corners- and he things, _yes_, _what a great Valentine's Day this is._

* * *

**_There we go :) Please let me know your thoughts! Next up in Comeback and it will be all from my head as Blaine was not featured in this episode!_**


	9. Chapter 9 - Comeback

_**Hello!**_

_**Sorry it's taken me so long to upload, I have been flat out with work and life :/**_

_**Thank you all for showing so much interest in this story. I really have so many ideas for our boys and for Blaine especially. I really enjoy diving into what his home life was like away from Kurt and also his relationships with the Warblers and the boys at Dalton. I hope you enjoy this little OC chapter before we get to BIOTA :D**_

_**(Side note: I apologise for any inconsistencies and grammar errors etc, I do not have a Beta – it's just little ol' me)**_

**Chapter 9**

**Comeback**

Blaine sat on his bed, fingers fiddling with the hem of his cardigan, just like he'd been doing for the last five minutes. It was a Saturday and Blaine had come home for the weekend so he would be able to attend the movies with Kurt, Mercedes and Tina. Tina had roped Mercedes into going to see the new Adam Sandler movie that was out and Mercedes had refused to go without Kurt, and Kurt had practically pinned Blaine to the wall of the English room until he agreed to come along as well. Blaine was more than happy to go, even if he wasn't the biggest Adam Sandler fan in the world. Any excuse to spend more time with Kurt and Blaine would take it. He's found since the Valentine's Day debacle that he and Kurt have become a lot closer. They text more frequently, call each other on the weekend when Kurt goes back home, and they even have a weekly movie night together now when Blaine's roommate is out seeing his girlfriend every Thursday. Granted, they had only started the tradition two weeks ago, but it was something nice to look forward to.

"Sweetheart! I think your friend is here!"

Pam's voice comes floating up the stairs and Blaine is on his feet, hurrying out of his bedroom quickly, phone in hand. Kurt hadn't even had the chance to message him yet. He hurries down the stairs, skipping two at a time until he's standing in the entrance way, his mother coming out from the lounge room with a smile on her face. He can hear the volume on the TV decreasing and he almost smiles. It's nice to know that his father is somewhat interested in the friends he keeps at Dalton.

"You look dashing, sweetheart" Pam smiles at her son and moved over to him to fix his collar and he gives her a little smile as a thank you. He is wearing a simple white button-down shirt which is tucked neatly into his light grey capri pants, dark grey cardigan with a little grey bowtie to match.

"Thanks Mum. I'll be back a little later, but I have a key…" he trails off when he hears the knock on the front door and he hurries forward, pulling it open to smile at Kurt. The boy looks just as dashing in Blaine's opinion, wearing a pair of dark, tight jeans and also a white button up tucked into them. Unlike Blaine, Kurt is wearing suspenders and a long, black coat that matches his boots. His hair is styled up into a neat quaff and he smiles at Blaine, shuffling a little on his feet.

"Hey! So, we're picking up Mercedes and Tina from Tina's house…" Kurt starts to tell Blaine when Pam appears behind his shoulder, smiling widely at the new guest.

"You must be Kurt" she hums and Blaine steps back to allow Kurt into the house. He'd told his parents that he and Kurt were going out tonight, and his mother hadn't stopped bugging him about the boy since. No matter how many times Blaine told her that it wasn't a date, she didn't seem to believe him. Daniel, on the other hand, had seemed quite fine with the fact that Blaine was not going on a date, and was simply spending time with a Dalton friend. Apparently, he'd heard the door as well because he now appeared in the hallway too, tucking his glasses into the pocket of his dress shirt.

"Yes. Hi Mrs Anderson, it's lovely to meet you" Kurt holds out his hand and the woman shakes it softly.

"Please, call me Pam. It's nice to put a face to the name, Kurt. We've heard so much about you from Blaine…"

"Really Mum? I don't talk about you, Kurt…"

"Yes, he does! He told us all about your glee club audition and how you have quite the singing voice. A Counter…. Um..."

"Countertenor, Mum"

"Right, that's it! You're one of those. Quite the addition to Blaine's team" the woman beams, and Blaine takes in the look of slight shock on Kurt's features and he can feel himself flushing.

"It's not my team, Mum" he breathes softly and turns quickly when he hears a soft chuckle from behind them as his father comes towards them.

"Don't be modest Blaine," he tells his son and walks passed him to Kurt, holding out his hand.

"Daniel Anderson" he smiles just a little and Blaine finds it rather strange. His Dad usually isn't a smiler. Kurt takes the man's hand and grips it firmly, smiling just as easily back.

"Kurt Hummel. Nice to meet you Mr Anderson."

Daniel nods and moves back to stand beside his wife, wrapping one arm around her waist as they both look to Blaine. The boy stands there for a moment, just a little unsure of what to say. The atmosphere seems weird to him. It's almost as if his parents are expecting him to invite Kurt in for a drink, like the two boys don't have any plans beyond this moment.

"Well… we better be off. Picking up the girls…" Blaine smiles and reaches for his coat, pulling it into his arms as he gestures back towards the front door for Kurt. Daniel blinks at him for a small moment.

"Girls?" he asks and Kurt nods in his direction.

"Yeah, we're having a little date night" he smiles and Blaine watches as his father looks between him and Kurt, takes a moment to look at his wife before he smiles again.

"Well okay then. You have a good night boys. Blaine, curfew is 11" he nods, presses a small kiss to his wife's hair before he turns an walks back towards the living room.

Pam watches her husband go before she turns back to the boys and looks between the two of them. "Have fun. And please don't be a stranger Kurt. You can come for dinner whenever you'd like" she hums and gives them a little wave before she too leaves the pair alone in the entrance way. Blaine takes in a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders a little as he makes eye contact with his friend.

"So… that's my family" he breathes and Kurt links his arm through Blaine's and begins to steer him out of the house and into the cool night air.

"They seem nice. From what you told me about your Dad, I honestly thought he'd be scarier. He seems lovely" Kurt hums and Blaine nods along because Kurt was right. He had seemed lovely, and that was strange. Daniel Anderson was usually a man of few words and whilst Blaine knew that his Dad loved him, it had never been an easy thing between them. As a young boy it had been fine, but that was because Blaine hadn't really known any better. He'd thought that little boys weren't supposed to do ballet because his Dad had told him so. He'd thought that when he'd come home to gush about little Harry Wellington and his wonderful red hair that the slap that had followed was completely justified. I had taken a while for him to realise that these things weren't normal, and that thinks between a father and son shouldn't really feel strained, forced and fake. Blaine loves his Dad, of course he does, it was just that sometimes he found himself wishing that things between them could just naturally be easier.

"Thanks" is all Blaine can say and Kurt seems to take the hint that Blaine doesn't feel too much like talking about family right now, so he changes the subject.

"I have leverage on Finn" he hums casually as they climb into Kurt's car and Blaine can't help but chuckle.

"Why? Did you catch him trying on one of your scarves again?" he muses, and Kurt shakes his head as he starts up the engine, sighing softly as he does.

"No. I wish it had been that. I've been letting him use my laptop sometimes on the weekend for study because our desktop computer is currently broken – something about Dad having spilt beer on it- and let's just say, some of the material Finn has been searching up is definitely not something he wants shared" Kurt glances over at him and wiggles his eyebrows before he starts to reverse and Blaine lets out a soft laugh.

"Oh God, do I want to know?"

"You most definitely do not"

"Then I won't pry. But I will suggest that you never let him near your laptop again. Especially not if you bring it to school. You don't want anyone to accidentally see something 'not safe for work', so to speak." Blaine smiles and shakes his head and when he looks back at Kurt's profile as they drive down the street, he swears that the other boy is blushing.

"I think I'll be okay. I-I deleted the browser history" he breathes and Blaine watches as he turned the radio on, fiddling a little with the volume. Blaine's noticed since he'd met Kurt that he fiddles with things when he's nervous. It's a trait that Blaine thinks is adorable.

"A good call. I remember once when Jeff was giving a presentation in class and he hooked his lap top up to the projector and hadn't shut down a site properly… he got into so much trouble" Blaine chuckles and shakes his head at the memory of Jeff's mortified face and the sound of the English Teacher's angry cries.

"A s-site?" Kurt asks and glances over to him quickly. "Like… porn?" he breathes and Blaine nods.

"Yeah. It was pretty horrifying, especially considering I never planned on seeing that much of a woman myself" he laughs and looks over at Kurt again, who seems to have become paler and paler by the second.

"It sounds horrifying" Kurt tells him, and his fingers turn up the volume on the radio and Blaine takes that as his cue to end the conversion. So, he sings along to the song that is booming around the car and after a little while Kurt joins in, a small smile now playing on his lips. Blaine takes note that Kurt doesn't enjoy talking about porn, and that's totally okay. Some people just don't.

They pull up outside Tina's house and Kurt beeps the horn twice. The two girls come hurrying out and slip into the back seat as Kurt turns the music down and they begin a conversation immediately about Sam's new one man boy band and how Mike and the other boys (expect for Finn) all seem far too eager to join in. Blaine smiles and happily shares his opinion on the matter (he firmly believes that Justin Bieber is far too overrated at the moment and wouldn't enjoy performing his music with the Warblers) and by the time they pull up and head into the cinema, they are all relaxed and smiling. Mercedes has her arm linked with Kurt's and they giggle together as Tina walks alongside Blaine.

"I have to admit, it's nice to be able to go out without Mike occasionally. We usually always go and get dim sum with his Mum" Tina sighs softly and Blaine smiles at her.

"Dim Sum? I love that" he tells her, and she sighs.

"So do I. But not with Mike's Mum. I mean, Mrs Chang is lovely and she seems to like me well enough, but sometimes I just want to have some alone time with my boyfriend. You know?" she looks at Blaine and the boy nods in agreement.

"I get that, I know if I had a boyfriend I would want to spend as much time with him as possible. But it's also nice that his mother is taking such an interest in you. At least she likes you" Blaine chuckles and nudges Tina with his arm. "And hey, if you need to use coming to visit me and Kurt as an excuse to spend some time with Mike, feel free. We'll cover for you" he tells her, and Tina looks at him with large eyes.

"Really?" she asks, and Blaine shrugs his shoulders.

"Sure. I mean, I don't condone lying to parents most of the time but I understand that we have certain wants and needs and it also means you owe me" he teases the last part and Tina giggles softly and they arrive at the line, Kurt and Mercedes already ahead of them. They purchase their tickets and their snacks and head into the cinema, making their way towards the back of the theatre. Kurt picks a row about four from the back and they shuffle down, picking at the popcorn from the large bucket they purchased to share. The adverts start and Blaine find he feels rather comfortable where he is. He's seated on the end of the four, next to Kurt, and he can hear Mercedes and Tina talking about some dip that Mercedes mum had made a few nights before. Kurt shuffles just a little closer to him and turned his head slightly.

"I heard you talking to Tina" he hums, and Blaine pops a piece of popcorn into his mouth.

"Mhm"

"You told her that we'd cover for her whilst she gets her mack on with Mike"

At that, Blaine snorts and turned to fully face Kurt, who sits up quickly and grips the popcorn bucket a little tighter.

"I'm sorry, 'gets her mack on'?" Blaine raises an eyebrow in Kurt's direction and takes great pleasure in watching as the pale boy's cheeks flush a soft pink.

_Kurt looks adorable when he blushes._

"It's just something Santana says. Clearly I've been listening to her too much as of late" Kurt mumbles and places a few more pieces of popcorn into his mouth as Blaine gives him a large grin.

"Clearly." He hums, and Kurt swallows his popcorn and washes it down with some soda.

"But, Santana's strange and often overly sexual lines are not what the point of this conversation is," he says quietly as an advertisement for the Lima Funeral Home plays on the screen. "the point is that you told Tina we would cover for her if she wants to… you know… with Mike!"

"Yeah? I fail to see the issue" Blaine says casually and watches with interest as Kurt swallows and takes in a small breath before speaking again.

"Why?"

The question is a simple one, and Blaine thinks that the answer to it is also simple.

"Because friends cover for friends, right?"

"Right… but even when said friends are sneaking around to… to get dirty?"

Kurt practically squeaks out the last few words and Blaine looks at him with a small, earnest smile.

"Especially then"

The look he gets in return from Kurt could only be described as pure confusion, but then the lights go down and the film starts, and the conversation is forgotten.

Blaine relaxes into his seat and happily laughs along with the rest of the cinema, eating his popcorn and stealing Kurt's soda when he finishes his own. He let their shoulders brush together and is only a little disappointed that they can't sit as close together as they usually do during their movie nights on Blaine's bed, but he isn't complaining. Not at all.

"How was your date night?"

Blaine looks up from his bowl of muesli as father comes into the kitchen in his robe, glasses perched on the end of his nose. He'd gotten in a little late last night, but still before curfew, having gone out for ice-cream with Kurt and the girls after the film, and then he and Kurt had ended up talking in the car for about half an hour before either one of them had bothered to check the time.

"Good. Great, actually." Blaine responds with a smile and watches as Daniel moves over to the coffee pot, picking up his usual plain, matte black coffee mug. Blaine had made him a coffee mug for Father's Day when he was still in elementary school, but he wasn't sure what happened to it, and he hadn't ever asked.

"Good to hear" Daniel hums and takes a sip of his coffee, leaning back on the kitchen counter to look after at his son. "Those girls you went with, they're Kurt's friends?" he asks and Blaine nods slowly, shoveling another spoonful of his breakfast.

"Is one of them Kurt's girlfriend?"

Blaine swallows his food and sat his spoon down against his bowl. Right.

_Date night._

"No, Dad. Kurt… Kurt is gay" Blaine tells him simply and watches his father's face as the man takes another long sip from his cup.

"And… is one of them your girlfriend, then?"

"Well no. Because I'm gay too" Blaine speaks gently and tries to come off as sounding confident, but he can't help it if his voice quakes just a little.

"Right. But you kids these days, you have too many different labels. I don't know, it's hard to keep up. You could be -uh- bisexual…"

"Dad, please" Blaine swallows and sits up a little straighter, his hands moving down to tug the hem of his button up pajama shirt down just a little bit harder. Daniel meets his gaze and sets his cup down on the counter and raises his other hand in defense.

"I know – I know," he sighs and moved to push his glasses a little further up the bridge of his nose as Blaine looks at him, his heart rate slowly increasing. "Your mother said I should try and be more… open" Daniel sighs and Blaine smiles just a little.

"Since when do you listen to Mum?" he asks, and Daniel chuckles a little at that.

"More often that she thinks"

A silence falls over them and Daniel picks up his mug and reaches for the newspaper, tucking it under his arm as he walks past Blaine. He pauses, drops his hand to the boy's shoulder and squeezes a little before he leaves the room. Blaine lets his body relax then, looking down at his breakfast.

He isn't really hungry anymore.

Towards the end of the school week, Blaine finds himself in the senior commons, books spread out in front of him in an attempt to get some study done. Kurt has a pre-planned dinner with Mercedes so Blaine takes this time to focus, only he can't, because Nick, Jeff, Trent, Michael and Andy have decided to make this the setting for their weekly venting session about the fact that none of them are even close to being able to sleep with their girlfriends.

"It just sucks, you know. Like, I understand that this is a school but at the same time, we're teenagers! We have needs!" Michael groaned and let his head fall onto the desk, Blaine sighing softly as he sets down his pen.

"Am I missing something?" he asks, and Jeff looks up at him from his seat on the couch, smirk on his lips.

"Michael here is upset because Mr Matthews caught him trying to sneak Jessica into the dorm rooms last night"

Blaine's eyebrows raise as his attention turns to Michael, who's fingers are now curling into his short, blonde hair as he lets out another groan.

"Well… that was -uh- bold?" Blaine offers and Nick grins.

"It's hilarious! Can't you just wait until the weekend?" Nick asks and is met with a chorus of laughs, Andy's hand coming down to smack him on the back.

"Nick, you can't stop once you start" he chuckles and Blaine sits up a little in his seat, eyebrows furrowing.

"What do you mean?" he asks, and Andy pulls up a chair in front of him, resting his forearms along the top of it as he smiles at Blaine.

"Sex is like a drug. It's addictive, and once you start you don't want to stop. At least, that's what it's like for me" the brunette boy smiles and Blaine looks over to Michael, who just groans again in agreement.

"It's super different from just… you know" Andy trails off and gestures with a right hand, causing Jeff, Nick and Trent to all chuckle, but Blaine doesn't. He's intrigued.

"So, what… it's that good that you'd risk suspension?" Blaine hums and Michael gives him a thumbs up.

"Pretty much. I mean, I used to think it was stupid, all those seniors trying to get their girlfriend's in here after lights out. But then me and Amber did it and it's like a whole new world my friends." Andy looks around at them all and sighs.

"But we don't even have girlfriends"

"Yeah. We're pretty much stuck. And on top of being stuck with just our hands, we have to have roommates, so the opportunity to let loose really isn't around all that often" Nick sighs and Trent moves a little closer, fiddling with his tie as Michael looks up from his forearms and frowns.

"Don't you guys shower?" he muses, and Jeff lets out a huff.

"Water restrictions"

"How did you do it, Blaine?" Trent asks after a moment and Blaine's head turns so sharply to look at the boy that he swears his neck clicks.

"I'm sorry?" he breathes and the rest of the boys now all turn to look at him as well, curiosity evident on their faces.

"Yeah… how did you and Simon get it on without being caught?" Michael asks and Blaine can feel his cheeks flushing pink.

"Well we-we didn't get it on." He tells them and finds himself suddenly wishing that he's never started this conversation in the first place.

"Simon said you did" Nick speaks a little softer now and Blaine sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.

_Of course Simon would say that. Of course Simon would want everyone to think that we did something._

"We didn't… I assure you. So I'm definitely not the expert on this" Blaine sighs and Jeff falls back onto the couch with a groan.

"This is such a bitch" he huffs, and Michael lets out a laugh.

"Dude, why haven't we done this before?" he asks, and the other boys looks at him in confusion.

"Done what?" he asks, and Michael just shakes his head and gets to his feet. Blaine watches him and a grin starts to spread onto his lips as Michael moves over to the marge mahogany table at the front of the room and begins to beat a rhythm against it with the palm of his hand. He's right, they definitely should have done this before.

"_God, I dreamed there was an angel  
Who could hear me through the wall  
As I cried out-like, in Latin  
"This is so not life at all  
Help me out-out-of this nightmare"  
Then I heard her silver call-  
She said: "Just give it time, kid  
I come to one and all"_

Michael looks over to Andy who flashes a grin and jumps up onto the chair he's currently sitting on and starts to clap out the same rhythm with his hands and Blaine quickly starts to put his papers away, the remaining boys harmonising behind Andy as he sings.

_"She said: "Give me that hand, please  
And the itch you can't control  
Let me teach you how to handle  
All the sadness in your soul  
Oh, we'll work that silver magic  
Then we'll aim it at the wall"  
She said: "Love may make you blind kid-  
But I wouldn't mind at all"_

They all join in on the chorus and Blaine finds himself smiling, but he doesn't get up just yet.  
**It's the bitch of living  
**_**(Bitch, just the bitch)**_**  
With nothing but your hand  
**_**(Just the bitch, yeah)**_**  
Just the bitch of living  
As someone you can't stand**

Blaine looks around the room as Andy points over to Nick, who has now pulling up a chair next to the table where Michael is, strumming his fingers along the edge as if he's pretending to play along to a piano.

_"See, each night, it's like fantastic-  
Tossing, turning, without rest  
'Cause my days at the piano  
With my teacher and her breasts;  
And the music's like the one thing  
I can even get at all  
And those breasts!  
I mean, God, please  
Just let those apples fall"  
_

Michael tugs him up and they both begin to beat the rhythm onto the table, Blaine getting to his feet as the remaining three boys circle around the couch.  
**  
It's the bitch of living  
**_**(ah, ah, ah)**_**  
With nothing going on  
**_**(Nothing going on)**_**  
Just the bitch of living  
Asking: what went wrong?**

**Do they think we want this?  
Oh- who knows?  
**  
Blaine jumps up onto the table where Michael and Nick are and he grins as he sings, the other boys moving around to stand on the floor in front of him, and Blaine is fairly certain he hasn't had this much fun all week.

_It's the bitch of living_

**It's the bitch of living**

_And living in your head  
_  
**In your head  
It's the bitch  
**  
_Of living  
And sensing God is dead_

**It's the bitch of living**

_You watch me-  
Just watch me-_

**And trying to get ahead**

_I'm calling you one day  
_  
**It's the bitch of living  
Just getting out of bed**

_All will know_

**It's the bitch of living  
Living, Living**

_All will know_

**And getting what you get  
Just the bitch of living**

_And knowing this is it!_  
**God, is this it?  
This can't be it  
Oh God, what a bitch!**

They finish with a bang; chests heaving and smiles wide.

"Hell yeah!"

Trent helps Blaine down from the table and Blaine fixes his tie, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well boys, whilst that isn't exactly a regionals appropriate song, I'd say we killed it" he grins and Michael chuckles and claps Blaine on the shoulder.

"We sure did. Though… it doesn't really solve my problem" he sighs and then snorts when Blaine reaches around him and picks up the tissue box from the table and hands it to him.

"You little shit" Michael grins and slings an arm over Blaine's shoulder. "To the dorms! I think a night of C.O.D and root beer is on the cards boys!"

A cheer echoes around the room as a response and Blaine can't help but feel happy, his chest swelling with pride. These are his friends, his boys.

It was safe to say, Blaine had found his own corner of the sky, and he planned on staying there for as long as he could.

_**Thanks for reading :D Next up with be BIOTA – I am so ready for the drama!**_

_**Please let me know what you think so far and what you would like to see for our boys. I know that we all have ideas about what happened with them off camera and I would love, love, LOVE to hear what scenes you think went down – we might even have the same ideas!**_

_**I will try to update this story at leas month from now on at minimum, but this might get harder as Blaine becomes more prominent in the episodes (Season 3 onward) but please stick around and let me know how you're enjoying/not enjoying it so far. Constructive Criticism is always welcome!**_


	10. Chapter 10 - Blame it on the Alcohol

_**Thank you all for the lovely reviews and the views **__** It really does make writing so much better, knowing that I am catering to what people are after and that writing what I love is actually enjoyable for others!**_

_**Here is BIOTA – one of my favourite episodes. I really liked wanted to delve into the complexity of emotions, social stigma and pressure with this, and I think that it can be seen perfectly in this episode with Blaine and I really wanted RIB to explore it more, but never fear! I've gone and done it myself.**_

_**WARNING! This chapter does have a rather explicit shower scene, so if you aren't into that I suggest you skip ahead or perhaps read a different story. I am wanting to keep this story as real as I can, and that includes exploring the sexuality and sexual being of the characters.**_

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Blame it on the Alcohol**

It's Friday night and Blaine is in his dorm room with Wes, both of them fully immersed in a riveting game of Mortal Combat. They've been cooped up in the room for last two hours, pizza box on the bottom of the bed, only a few slices of pepperoni left.

"Oh man! Take it, take it!" Blaine cries as his fingers jam hard into another wonderful combo and Wes lets out a groan as the big K.O appears on the screen.

"Why did I agree to this?" he asks and lets the controller fall from his hand as Blaine raises his own into the air in a triumphant celebration.

"Because I paid for pizza, and you clearly have a thing for getting your ass kicked"

Blaine laughs as one of his pillows smacks him harshly in the face. He grins at Wes and is about to begin what he knows will be one of the greatest pillow fights they've had this month, when his phone starts to blast out 'Vogue' from where it sits on his nightstand. He dives over towards it and presses it to his ear.

"Hey Kurt! How was Friday night dinner?" Blaine hums and watches as Wes resets his pillow where it should be, rolling his eyes. Blaine ignores him and lays down.

"Good. I made roast duck so Finn was a little skeptical but ended up eating about half of the duck anyway, so I'd say it was a success" Kurt responds lightly and Blaine smiles.

"That sounds great. You'll have to make it for me sometime"

"All you need to do is ask"

Blaine smiles a little wider at the response and then his eyebrows furrow as Wes pokes him harshly in the thigh. Right. He's probably being rude.

"Hey, Kurt… I'm actually just with Wes now, do you think I could call you back?" he asks, and he hears what sounds like Kurt closing his bedroom door.

"It's okay, I was just calling to invite you to a party actually"

"A party?"

Blaine sits up and Wes looks at him with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. Rachel's Dads are away this weekend and she's decided to host a party in her basement. God knows it's probably going to be a bore, but I figured we could go for a little while and then maybe catch a movie? Or just watch one at mine? It's tomorrow night" Kurt offers, and Blaine can hear him fiddling with something on his nightstand, probably getting ready for his nightly skincare routine.

"A party sounds fun. Are you sure it's okay if I tag along?" Blaine muses and Wes lays beside him, the pair of them staring up at the plain, cream coloured ceiling of Blaine's dorm room. If Blaine squints, he can still see the little chips in the paint left from a time when David through a burnt loaf of garlic bread up too high.

"I'm sure. I mean, technically I wasn't invited. Finn was talking about it and I managed to persuade him to take us. Blackmail can do wonders, if only I'd known sooner" Kurt teases and Blaine chuckles lightly, imagining very clearly how easy it would have been to make Finn cave. Kurt certainly had his ways.

"Well okay then. I'll drive down to Lima tomorrow. I can be at yours for 6?"

"6 sounds great. Have a good night, Blaine"

"You too, Kurt"

Blaine hangs up and sets his phone down on his chest.

"So. You're going to a party with Kurt" Wes breaks the silence and Blaine nods.

"Yep. I guess so. I've met quite a few of the New Directions already, and you know I sang with Rachel over Christmas, so it should be fun"

"Right," Wes hums and leans up on his elbow so he can look at Blaine. "So, let me get this straight- and don't even start with that joke" Wes cuts Blaine off before he can even open his mouth and Blaine grins, gesturing with a hand for him to proceed.

"You're going to a party with Kurt and all of his friends from his old school and his brother. You've met his parents, had dinner with them multiple times, and you drive to Lima almost every second weekend to hang out with him, even though you see him every day at school. You have movie nights with him every Thursday and you have a playlist on your phone called 'Duets for Kurt', yet you guys aren't dating?" Wes looks at Blaine and the boy sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.

"No, Wes. We aren't dating. We don't see each other that way, okay? Kurt is… well he's my best friend, actually. I love spending time with him, and we have fantastic musical chemistry, but we aren't a couple. I- I don't really think I want to be in the dating scene right now" Blaine admits, and Wes just stares at him for a long moment.

"Why?"

Blaine knows that it's a question he should have an answer to. He knows that most kids his age are dying to get a girlfriend or boyfriend, to go out on dates and steal kisses in the back row of the cinema, to make out in the car and hold hands in the hallway at school – but Blaine just… isn't. The only problem is, he doesn't know why. He's a hopeless romantic at heart and he knows that, but he just doesn't seem to be interesting in dating right now.

"I-I guess I'm just too busy" Blaine settles for and Wes chuckles softly at the response.

"Yeah, too busy with Kurt" he hums, and Blaine proceeds to shove him so hard that he tumbles off the bed and lands on the floor with a bang.

"Oh, you are dead!" Wes cries and Blaine arms himself with a pillow.

He gets his great pillow fight after all.

* * *

Blaine smiles as he sits, perched on the end of Kurt's bed, watching as the boy finishes buckling his one shoulder harness over his red dress shirt.

"So… you really think it's going to flop?" he hums and Kurt nods, turning to check how he looks in his mirror.

"Absolutely. This is Rachel. She doesn't know what a party is," Kurt tells him and fixes his tie a little, eyes locking onto Blaine in the reflection. "I think this is the first time she's been to one since the 3rd grade"

Blaine folds his arms across his chest, cocking his head to the side.

"And do you go to parties often?" he asks and Kurt sighs, flickering his eyes back to his shirt.

"Sadly, no. I was invited to one of Santana's parties once but I only stayed for about ten minutes and left with an excuse that I was developing the flu" Kurt tells him and brushes down his shirt before he turns to face Blaine. "There was far too much alcohol and grinding for my liking" he sighs and Blaine chuckles.

"But those are the best things about a party" he counters and has the pleasure of watching Kurt's eyebrows raise.

"Really? Is that… is that what you do at parties?" he asks, and Blaine stands, adjusting the cuffs of his burgundy cardigan as he does.

"No. I usually sit in the corner with Trent and discuss superhero movies whilst everyone else drinks and grinds" he hums and flashes Kurt a smile. "I'm a little bit of a lightweight and I don't drink often. So, I think one will be enough for me tonight. And I promise not to lose all inhibitions and grind on you" he adds and grins a little wider as Kurt flushes pink to the tips of his ears.

"How kind of you" he breathes, and both of their heads turn as Finn pushes open the door, standing there a little awkwardly.

"Hey-uh- I guess I'm ready" Finn tells them and shoves his hands into the pockets of his puffer vest and Blaine smiles at him.

"Awesome. Are you sure you're okay driving?" he asks and Finn nods.

"Sure. I like driving." Finn hums and Kurt picks up his and Blaine's coats, handing Blaine his with a small smile.

"Blaine and I might leave a little earlier, but we can always call a cab" Kurt tells him and Blaine tugs on his coat as Finn nods.

"Cool."

The trio make their way downstairs and out to Finn's car, Blaine sliding into the back as Kurt hops into the front passenger seat.

"You seem quiet" Kurt comments to Finn almost immediately and Blaine buckles himself in before he sits forward a little as Finn reverses down the driveway, a long sigh escaping his lips.

"Sorry dude, I'm just a little worried about Rachel" Finn tells him and fiddles with the radio. "She's trying to find herself and I just don't want her to become someone she isn't… to try and please people" he admits, and Blaine smiles fondly at that.

"Finn, this is Rachel Berry we're talking about. She's as stubborn as all hell. I highly doubt she'll be changing for anyone in a hurry" Kurt assured him and pats his arm before he turns the music up and Blaine sits back against the seat, smiling as the brothers begin to discuss expanding on Finn's role when it comes to their Friday night dinners.

* * *

"Rachel said the door is open" Finn tells them as they pull up outside the Berry household and Blaine smiles as he sees the lovely house set back behind the freshly trimmed trees. It's much smaller than his own, and he likes that. He likes that the house doesn't look like it's looming over you whenever you enter. He follows Kurt and Finn up to the front door and into the house and he is immediately hit with the lovely smell of lavender and rose. Kurt's nose crinkles a little and he looks to Blaine, thumbing to a picture of a beaming young Rachel Berry and two men, one on either side of her, kissing her rosy cheeks. Blaine stares at the photograph for a lot longer than he should, and he only registers when Kurt's hand rests on his shoulder.

"You okay?" he asks softly and Blaine nods quickly.

"Uh- yeah" he breathes and turns to look at his friend, silent for a small moment until he lets the breath he's holding in escape.

"I just- well… I haven't met a gay couple before. A married one" Blaine admits, and the look Kurt gives him is one of understanding.

"Me either"

They smile softly at each other for a moment before Finn coughs from across the other side of the room, already half disappearing into a hallway.

"You guys coming? It's down here" he gestures with his thumb and the boys make their way towards the basement. Blaine chuckles to himself as they're greeted by Rachel, her eyes a little wide when she takes in the trio.

"Kurt. Blaine. I wasn't expecting you guys." She smiles a little wearily and Finn leans in to speak to her as Blaine follows Kurt down the stairs and into the basement. It is the most un-basement like basement that Blaine has seen. His own is filled with old boxes from his Dad's college days, from Cooper's childhood bedroom and his own toys he had as a kid that he no longer has any use for. Rachel's basement is like a speakeasy, classy and clean.

"I'm totally off the clock right now, Rachel. I'm not a Warbler. I'm just Blaine. I'm not even wearing my uniform." Blaine smiles over at the girl as he takes off his coat in an attempt to ease her mind a little. Whilst they have hung out before at the Lima Bean and they have a texting group together, Kurt has drilled into Blaine her insane theories and spy-related trauma from her previous boyfriend.

"So, this is your dads' Oscar room." Kurt breathes as he slips off his coat and Rachel takes it from him along with Blaine's, setting it on one of the chairs as Blaine looks around and takes in the room. He doesn't mind it at all, and actually wouldn't mind a nice area like this in his own home one day.

"Yes. They transformed our ordinary basement for our famous annual Oscar parties." Rachel smiles proudly and Blaine's eyes settle on the end of the room where there is evidently a small stage set up, microphones and all, where Mercedes and Lauren Zises are currently sitting, looking extremely bored.

"Is that a stage?" he muses and Rachel nods.

"I kind of like to give impromptu performances for our neighbours sometimes." She responds and turns to speak to Quinn as Kurt moves closer to Blaine.

"At least the interior design isn't too bad down here" he hums and Blaine smiles at him.

"I like it. Though I'm assuming that Rachel had absolutely no part in the design choices" Blaine chuckles and nods towards her dress and Kurt just smiles, playing with his fingers.

"You should see her bedroom"

Blaine smiles at that and Rachel turns back to them,

"Uh, okay. Let's, uh-let's go over the rules. Everybody gets two drink tickets to keep things from getting out of hand," the girl hands them both a small, pink ticket which has the words 'Drink Me' written in golden gel pen on it with a small picture of a wine cooler bottle beside it. "We are serving wine coolers today, that is our specialty drink…it's actually all we have".

Blaine gives her another smile before he heads over towards the bar area where there are some stools, pulling one out for Kurt.

"Oh, merci" Kurt smiles and takes a seat beside Blaine, thumbing his ticket.

"Have you decided when you're going to have your two drinks? I'm thinking of having one now and then maybe one in an hour. Don't want to be too buzzed too quickly" Blaine chuckles and sets the ticket gently down on the bar before he swivels to face Kurt.

"I don't think I'll drink tonight, so if you want to have my tickets, you are more than welcome to them" he places the pink tickets on top of Blaine's and sighs.

"You're not drinking? I thought this would be your kind of scene" Blaine gestures around them and watches with a smirk as Kurt's eyebrows raise up in shock.

"Why, pray tell, would you think that _this_ would be my scene?" He stares at Blaine and the boy shrugs his shoulders and leans forward a little.

"There isn't much alcohol here and I can't see any grinding whatsoever" His lips pull up into a smirk and Kurt reaches out and smacks his harm.

"I'm not telling you anything ever again" Kurt cries and Blaine grins back at him.

"Now we both know that's a lie"

The pair sit in silence together, smiling softly. Blaine looks down at his hands for a moment and sees Kurt's come into view, almost as it he's reaching for his hand to hold.

"Let's party!"

Rachel's voice breaks through to him and he looks over his shoulder as Puck comes hurrying towards them with a shit eating grin on his face, jumping over the bar and reaching up towards the liquor cabinet.

"Noah, what are you doing?" Kurt asks, his eyebrow raised as Puck pulled open the cabinet and pulled down to bottle of vodka and two bottles of rum. He looks over at Kurt and Blaine and just grins even wider.

"Hummel, we're getting fucked up"

Blaine chuckles softly at the stunned look on Kurt's face, and he spins around on the bar stool as the music is turned right up and everyone who previously wore bored expressions on their faces have now jumped up, smiling as they look around at Rachel. The girl is busy pulling open the box of wine coolers, handing out to those nearest to her.

"This is insane" Kurt breathes as Puck grabs out some shot glasses and begins to the pour the vodka and another blue liquor into them, splashing some onto the surface of the bar.

"This is a party. Live a little, Hummel. Have a drink and loosen up as much as you can in pants that tight" Puck grins and Blaine laughs softly, taking a shot glass when offered.

"He's right," he gazes over at Kurt with a smirk on his lips. "Your pants are very, very tight".

With that, he downs the shot, the alcohol sending a burning line right down his throat. His eyes squeeze tight as the taste makes him wince, but it feels good, He lets out a huff and slams the shot glass down, earning him a loud cheer from Puck.

"Yes dude!"

Blaine takes another one before he gets up and holds his hand out to Kurt. The boy raises a brow but takes his hand anyway and Blaine pulls him over to where Tina and Mike have already started dancing, bottles in their hands.

"We're dancing?" Kurt muses and Blaine gives him a nod before he spins him around and then spins himself, laughing as he does. He is going to have fun.

* * *

Blaine is not too sure how it happens, but he finds himself dancing wildly on the stage by himself as Kurt dances off with Finn a little way on front of him, and he's having a great time. He's played King's cup with Mercedes, Tina, Mike and Quinn, he's danced with Tina and Brittany and he was sure that someone had even done a body shot off him, but he can't for the life of him remember who. He's also danced with Kurt quite a bit and had happily allowed for Puck to continuously top up his cup with whatever drink the boy had felt like making, and now everything was spinning and he feels warm and he feels _alive_.

He looks up and sees that Kurt and Finn are still there and he smiles happily to himself. He's really glad that Kurt has such a great brother. One who drives him to parties and makes sure he's okay, one who drinks warm milk with him over little 'lady' chats and who really makes sure that Kurt feels accepted. Blaine had that too when Cooper was still living in Ohio. He hasn't spoken to Cooper since Valentines Day and that thought makes him upset. He doesn't want to be upset right now. So instead he decides to make his opinions known about jut how 'cool' it is that Kurt and Finn are brother's by stumbling his way over to Finn, slinging an arm over his incredibly high shoulders.

"Hey! It is so cool that you and Kurt… are brothers!" he cries and he's proud of himself that he's just come right out with it. "Right? Like, brothers! Wow… you're so tall"

Blaine shakes his head a little and smiles to himself. Cooper was tall too, taller than him. He's definitely gotten his height from his mother, not that he was complaining. Being small had its perks…

"You havin' fun Blaine?"

Blaine looks up and sees Kurt smiling at him and he grins widely.

"Yeah! This is the best party ever!" He cries out happily as Kurt walks over to him and he stumbles a little getting down of the stage and Kurt laughs and steadies him quickly.

"Do you think it's time for some water?" he asks, and Blaine shakes his head happily.

"Not unless it's actually vodka!" he cries and earns himself a high five from Puck as they stumble passed him towards couches that have been abandoned by Brittany in order for her to have some fun stripping for Artie. Blaine flops down onto one and drags Kurt down to his side, leaning into him happily.

"Thanks for bringing me Kurt. I needed this" he breathes out happily and sips whatever drink is currently residing in his cup. It burns on the way down and smells just a little like gasoline, an indication that maybe Puck has mixed some tequila into it at some point during the night.

"It's honestly fine. And you seem to be getting along with everyone" Kurt hums and Blaine nods in response.

"Your friends are so cool. The coolest. I wish I was the coolest too. Am I cool enough for you, Kurt?" Blaine drawls a little and Kurt chuckles softly.

"Yes, Blaine. You are cool enough for me"

"Oh good. I was worried I wasn't" Blaine sighs softly and closes his eyes as he leans a little more into Kurt and doesn't catch the boy's frown.

"Why?" he asks softly, and Blaine lets out another sigh before he answers.

"Because sometimes it's super hard to be cool. And I'm trying to be myself around you as much as possible, because… because you're just a great person and I want you to like me for me. Not-not… oh my god, do you think Rachel has any Cheetos?" Blaine's brain shifts conversations and Kurt just looks at him before he smiles and pulls them to his feet.

"Let's find out"

Blaine is grateful when Kurt takes his hand and locates Cheetos for him, and he grins widely when Rachel calls out about playing spin the bottle. Blaine has never played before, but the idea of the game has always enticed him. Yes, he won't lie, he's always wanted to play with a group of boys, but he's a little too drunk to care about the female of it all right now.

"You want to play?" Kurt asks in a soft breath as Blaine pulls him over to the circle that is now forming on the floor.

"Sure! It can't hurt" he grins and then stops, turning to look at Kurt. "Oh… but… but maybe you don't want to" he breathes out and gently takes Kurt's face into his hands. "Because of Karofsky" he whispers, and Kurt places his hands over the top of Blaine's slowly pulling them away.

"It's fine, Blaine. Thank you for your concern" he smiles earnestly, and Blaine takes that, tugging him down so they're sitting next to Brittany. Someone finds a chess board and sets one of the empty wine cooler bottles on it and starts to spin. Blaine claps along happily and leans into Kurt as Puck spins the bottle and it lands on Lauren, everyone booing as the pair happily make out, though Blaine thinks it looks like Lauren might have been trying to eat Puck out of anger at this point. Finn ends up kissing Tina and then Tina gets Artie and then Sam and Brittany get paired together and Blaine is feeling so very light and happily. Kurt is leaning into his side and everyone is cheering as Sam and Brittany kiss and Blaine is fairly certain _he_ wouldn't mind being in Brittany's place right now. Santana ends up breaking them apart and Blaine grins when Rachel reaches out to spin the bottle.

"It's my turn! It's my turn!" she beams and Blaine watches as the bottle spins and spins and then it stops and the top of the bottle is pointing to him. It is pointing at him and he can't quite believe it, his hands pressing against his chest as his mind spins a little with the alcohol.

"Blaine Warbler, I'm gonna rock your world"

Blaine hardly has a chance to register what is happening before the girl is grabbing him and pulling him forward, pressing her lips to his with as much drunken prowess as she can muster. It takes Blaine a few moments to realise what is happening, and his brain is far too fogged up with alcohol to fully comprehend the fact that he's kissing a girl. _A girl_. He's kissing a girl and her lips taste like wine coolers and berries and maybe some cherry lip balm, and they're soft and plump and warm against his own. He smiles into it because this is a game after all, it's fun and he can hear people cheering them on and he is fairly certain that he is jut kissing Rachel's teeth at this point but-

_Oh. That feels good._

Rachel is kissing him again, a little firmer now and something sings through him and it's like he's acting on instinct. He presses forward and kisses her back, his hand moving up to comb into her long hair and it's different from kissing a boy, he knows that much, but he finds that he kind of likes it.

_This so weird, I'm kissing Rachel and she's a girl, but she tastes so good… it's kinda sweet? Mm- her lips are super soft; I wonder what lip balm she uses…_

Blaine pulls back and Rachel is speaking to him, but he is still wrapped up in his thoughts and he stares at her. Had she always been that pretty?

"I think I found a new duet partner!" the girl cries and pushes Blaine back a little and he falls next to Kurt, grinning like an idiot.

"Wooh!" he cries in response and beams up at his friend, who is looking rather shocked, though Blaine can't for the life of him figure out why. Rachel is a great singer, why would Kurt be shocked by them becoming duet partners?

"What's wrong?" Blaine asks and Kurt looks at him for a long moment, his eyes large and shining. Blaine thinks he looks like he wants to cry.

"Nothing" Kurt breathes out and shakes his head, giving him a quick smile before Blaine is dragged to his feet by Rachel, the girl's arms hanging around his neck.

"We should sing 'Don't you want me Baby', it's a classic and I know you know it because you now all the classics" Rachel babbles, her fingers playing loosely with the back of Blaine's collar and he just grins down at her. He loves that song.

"Sounds great"

And that is that. He is dragged up onto the stage and Rachel finds the instrumental track and shoves her phone into Tina's hands to set it up to the speakers, grinning madly at Blaine as they get ready to bring the house down together.

In Blaine's opinion, they do just that.

Rachel's voice is amazing, and he finds himself remarkably able to stay on key, despite the amount of alcohol currently coursing through his veins. He's good at performing -great at it, even- and so is Rachel. They make a great team. They dance and sing and jump around on the stage and when the song ends, Blaine finds himself gazing into Rachel's large, brown eyes and he feels a little bit captivated.

"That was awesome" Rachel breathes in his direction, her lips parted around a smile and Blaine isn't really too sure what comes over him, but the next thing he knows he has his arms wrapped around Rachel's small waist and their lips are moving together in a drunken fashion, but Blaine doesn't care.

He doesn't care because it feels good. Rachel's fingers in his hair feels good. Rachel's lips and tongue feel good against his own and she's small and compact in his arms and it almost makes him feel somewhat bigger, bolder, stronger.

He feels good.

He pulls back after what feels like hours, lips glistening and plump, grinning like a total idiot.

"We should dance" he breathes and all he receives in response is another deep, wet kiss.

He isn't really too sure about what happens after that. All he knows is that there are more strong flavoured drinks thrust into his hands, more long, wet kisses from Rachel and he thinks at one point their might have been a bit of grinding action where he was sandwiched between Rachel and Brittany, shimmying to his heart's content.

It's all like one big, fun blur to him that seems to only come to a focus when Kurt's hand is on his arm, eyes almost pleading with him.

"Blaine, it's getting late…" Kurt tried to speak, and Blaine throws his arms around his shoulders, swaying happily with him.

"Dance with me" he breathes and pouts at the look of shock Kurt gives him.

"Blaine-"

"Come on Kurt, I know you're a great dancer. Dance with me" he hums and moves back to take Kurt's hand, spinning him around. Kurt spins and a small smile tugs at his lips and Blaine thinks it's adorable.

"I'm going home, Blaine" Kurt tells him as he spins back to face him, and Blaine lets out a long sigh. He doesn't want to leave, he's having far too much fun dancing with everyone, but he came here with Kurt. He can't just let Kurt leave without him. That wasn't nice, and Blaine was nothing if not a gentleman.

"I'll get my coat" he flashes Kurt a smile and stumbled a little towards the chair that holds his coat and scarf, the room spinning just a little as he goes. He picks it up and turns, slamming right into Rachel.

"You're leaving?" she breathes, her eyes large and wide as she stares up at Blaine, fingers grabbing at his cardigan. He chuckles softly and pries her fingers away, handing her slowly off to Tina, who is more than happy to envelope the stunned girl in a hug.

"Thanks for a great party Rachel" He grins and shrugs on his coat, turning around to look for Kurt and Finn. He grins when he finds the brothers waiting by the stairs and he happily walks up to Kurt, taking his hand in his own. Kurt's looks a little shocked at the contact, but he doesn't pull away, so Blaine takes that as a win. He just grins to himself as they walk up the stairs and back out of the house. Kurt shaking his head as Finn goes to open his mouth.

"Don't" Kurt almost warns, and Blaine smiles happily, pulling Kurt just a little closer to him as they head towards the car.

_Has Kurt always smelled this good? It is like cedarwood and spice. Yummy!_

"You smell yummy" Blaine slurs a little as Kurt opens the car door for him and Blaine grins when he sees the blush on Kurt's cheeks.

"You're drunk"

"Doesn't change the fact that you smell yummy" Blaine counters and he hears Finn snort from the driver's seat. Kurt just rolls his eyes and straps Blaine into the seat before he gets into the passenger seat, giving Finn a warning look before they reverse out of the driveway and head down the road. Blaine sings loudly along to the radio as they drive and has so much fun doing so that he doesn't even realise when they actually make it back to Kurt and Finn's house. The engine cuts and Blaine pouts, looking out of the window.

"Over so soon?" he breathes, and Kurt opens the back door for him, smiling a little as he unbuckles Blaine and pulls him from the car, steadying him a little on his feet.

"Yeah, it's bedtime"

"Oh! Well thanks for bringing me guys, I had a great time" Blaine beamed and claps Kurt on the chest a few times before he turns and begins to walk to his car. He feels a tug on the back of his coat, and he turns to see Kurt's face right there, looking slightly amused and more than a little stunned.

"Blaine, you aren't driving home"

"Why?"

"Because you're drunk"

"Oh, right" Blaine chuckles and digs his fingers into his coat pocket, pulling out his keys to drop them into Kurt's waiting palm. Finn watches the exchange and stares at Kurt.

"He can't have my bed" he says quickly as Blaine slings an arm over Kurt's shoulders.

"Don't worry Finn! Kurt and I can share a bed" he breathes happily and there's that lovely pink flush on Kurt's cheeks that he loves so much.

"Really? Dude…" Finn begins, and Kurt raises a hand to silence him.

"Let's just go in quietly so we don't wake anyone, and we can talk about sleeping arrangements after" He sighs and begins to walk with Blaine towards the house.

Blaine finds that getting inside and up the stairs is a little bit of a task because the ground underneath him keep moving, even when he's standing still. Somehow Kurt and Finn have mastered the art of the moving floor and they help him up to Kurt's room. Blaine looks around happily and smiles when he sees the bed, immediately flopping down onto it. He mumbles a goodnight to Finn when he hears the door close.

"Blaine, you need to change. I can give you some of my old clothes to wear."

"No, no I want to stay like this forever" Blaine mumbles into the pillows and earns himself a chuckle from Kurt. The boy's sheets smell just as wonderful as he does, and Blaine is more than content to just sleep here with his face buried in them forever.

"You can sleep once you change. Here, let's start with the coat"

The bed dips beside him and Kurt is peeling off his coat and scarf with little help from Blaine, who has decided to turn into a human lump.

"You aren't going to make this easy for me, are you?" Kurt hums and Blaine shakes his head with a smile on his face.

"Nope. I don't want to move. Your bed is like heaven and your sheets smell like heaven and you are just heaven, Kurt" Blaine mumbles into the pillow before he turns and looks at Kurt, who is sitting close beside him, looking confused but a smile is still on his lips.

"I am?"

Blaine nods at him and yawns. "Yeah. Course. You're like- my best friend" Blaine smiles and Kurt gets up off the bed.

"Okay. Well your best friend is going to sleep on the couch, so if you need anything-"

"Nooo" Blaine whines and sits up, ignoring the spinning in his head as he does. He reaches out for Kurt and manages to grab onto his hand. "Stay with me. I promise I won't kick you" he hums and looks at him, batting his eyes at the boy in an attempt to convince him. Kurt stares at him for a long moment before he nods.

"Okay"

Kurt moves to pick up his pajamas and hurries out of the room to change. Blaine flops back against the pillows and smiles happily. Kurt's bed is much comfier than his own and he doesn't want to leave it. He lets out a happy sigh and feels almost like he's floating. He'll tell Kurt that his bed is like a cloud when he returns.

Blaine doesn't get to tell Kurt this, because he is asleep by the time Kurt comes to bed, but he does wake up when it's still dark outside, pressed up against the boys back, arms wrapped around him. His nose is practically brushing against the nape of Kurt's neck and he can smell his shampoo and a small smile plays at his lips. He is groggy and knows he'll fall back to sleep any second, but he takes a moment to scoot a little closer to the warmth of Kurt before he drifts off again.

* * *

The next time he wakes up he can hear tapping and a low voice telling him it's time to get up. He feels like the world around him is spinning far too fast and his head feels like it might possibly be stuffed. He groans as he tries to sit up, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Mmm, where am I?" he breathes, and he can hear Kurt talking and the low voice again and his head hurts. If he stays sitting up, he's going to hurl. He flops back against the pillows and let out a loud huff as his head pulsates.

"I'm dying" he whines, voice a little rough with sleep.

"No, you're just hung over" Comes Kurt's reply and Blaine just groans again. That makes sense. He doesn't remember drinking _that_ much last night, but he does remember Puck always keeping his cup topped up, and did he do a body shot off Brittany? He rolls over and stares up at Kurt's ceiling, taking in a deep breath, which ends up being a mistake because it makes him feel incredibly nauseous.

"I am so sorry" Blaine let the breath out and glances over to Kurt as the boy comes into focus, perching himself on the end of the bed.

"For what, exactly?"

Kurt has a small smirk playing on his lips and Blaine doesn't really have the energy to try and guess what it might be for, so he goes with the easier option.

"Everything. I wasn't supposed to have more than two drinks! I was supposed to have been sober enough to drive home by midnight" Blaine rubs his hands over his face and groans when they smell like alcohol.

"Blaine, it's fine. You fell asleep pretty much the instant your face hit the pillows anyway. And aside from being a total blanket hog, you're actually not that bad of a bed guest" Kurt tells him and pats his leg. "Don't worry about it. Now, I have to go downstairs and help my Dad with a cooking disaster in the making …"

"Your Dad?" Blaine leans up on his elbows so he can see Kurt a little better, and what ever colour he has left drains from his face when the realization kicks in.

"Oh _god_ your Dad! He saw me here! In your bed!"

Blaine falls back against the pillows and buries his face in his hands. This morning couldn't get any worse. Burt Hummel had seen him in his son's bed, and they hadn't even met that many times.

"Blaine, honestly I think you're overreacting here," Kurt sighs softly. "Nothing happened. We slept."

"I know that, Kurt. I just… I don't want your Dad hating me" Blaine tells him and lets his arms fall to the side. "I'm usually such a-a gentleman." He hums and Kurt chuckles softly.

"Mhm. Well, why don't you be a gentlemen and go rinse your mouth with some mouthwash before you get anyone else drunk with your breath, and I'll see you downstairs" Kurt smiles and squeezes his leg before he gets up and heads out of the bedroom, leaving Blaine to wallow on his bed. He's never really had a proper hangover before. Sure, he's woken up with a headache after a night drinking with the Warblers a few times, but never anything like this. His head is absolutely pounding, and his stomach is feeling awfully queasy. He can't remember too much of the night, and he doesn't want to try. He feels the need to get up and when he does, he is running head long towards the bathroom, making it just in time to throw up into the toilet. He tries to be quiet, but apparently, he isn't quiet enough because Finn's head appears around the side of the door frame, grinning like an idiot.

"Morning dude! Not so great on the way back up, is it?" he teases and Blaine bats him away with a hand, his other one gripping the porcelain bowl for dear life as he throws up again.

Once he's done, he stands and moves to the sink, quickly rinsing his mouth with water, then mouthwash, then water again. The taste of vomit and alcohol has lessened, and he really just needs something incredibly greasy to get him through the day. He looks up at his reflection and winces a little at his almost unruly curls (only just being held together with the remains of some hard-hitting gel), his bloodshot eyes and his pale skin. He looks kind of a mess. He mutters out apologies to no one in particular as he searches through the cupboard to find some deodorant to make him smell less homeless before he heads on down the stairs, finding his coat neatly waiting for him on the coat rack. Bless Kurt.

He can hear Kurt instructing his Dad from the kitchen and he slips on his coat and scarf before he heads there, standing sheepishly in the doorway.

"Good morning, Mr Hummel" He breathes and both Hummel men's heads turn around to look at him. Kurt smiles at him warmly and Burt just looks at him.

"Morning, Blaine. You look…rested" Burt goes for and Kurt smacks his arm before he walks over to Blaine and fixes his coat a little.

"I'm gonna head back up to Dalton. I've got some studying to get done this weekend, so… I'll see you Monday?" he offers and Kurt nods, giving him that same warm smile.

"Monday" he agrees, and the pair leave the kitchen and head towards the front door.

"Thanks again for this Kurt, I really am sorry about last night" Blaine apologizes and Kurt just batts away the comment with ease.

"Forget about it. Just take care of yourself? I'll see you Monday" he opens the door for Blaine and Blaine smiles back at him before he heads out to his car. The air is a little chilly, but he needs that.

He drives himself to the nearest McDonalds and orders a greasy sausage and bacon McMuffin which he knows he will need to work off at some point over the weekend, but it makes him feel a little less like throwing up a he eats it. He keeps the radio off as he makes the long drive back to Dalton, not wanting to add any more fuel to his headache. He makes plans to shower, eat something else and then do some studying, but when he finally makes it to his empty dorm room, he collapses onto the bed and ends up sleeping again until around 6pm when his roommate, James, comes in and throws a pillow at him and tells him he's asked some of the boys around to watch a football game. Only then does Blaine shower and try to function like a normal human being.

* * *

Monday morning he gets up earlier than usual and goes for a run and he makes his way to the Dalton gym to box out some of the alcohol he is sure is still lingering in his veins, and he doesn't actually have the his next Fight Club meeting until Wednesday, so this is the best he's going to get. As he punches the bag, sweat dripping down the side of his face, muscles aching and hot with each blow, he starts to think about Friday night and the events of the party. More particularly, he's thinking about Rachel Berry.

He'd kissed Rachel. Rachel had kissed him. He'd liked it. Kissing Rachel had felt good and nice and he was honestly surprised about it. Now that his brain wasn't clouded and seeping with vodka, he was actually able to process the events of the night a little better and all it left him with was confusion.

Wasn't he gay? Didn't he like men?

Yes, he did like men. Very much. He remembered how it had been kissing Simon all those months ago, and in all honestly it kind of felt the same. The pressure of lips against his own felt good, the fingers in his hair and the soft sounds the other person made because of _him_\- that had all felt the same.

What was the most confusing was that he hadn't felt that way before. He'd tried to like girls very much when he was younger, but it just never happened for him. Yes, Blaine thought that girls were beautiful and he could really appreciate a woman for her beauty, but he never found himself romantically interested in one before, or sexually interested. He had always dreamed of being with someone his own gender since he was a little boy, and as he got into his teenage years he found that the dreams of hand holding and soft kisses and cuddles turned into much more heated visions, and he loved it, _wanted_ it. The very idea of having a guy on top of him, solid and rugged and all _boy_ was an incredible turn on, and he hadn't ever thought of a woman like that. But what if he should? What if he _could_?

He punches the bag a few more times before he calls it for the morning. He's far too tired to try and deal with this kind of life changing decision right now. So instead he goes to his room and showers quickly and gets ready for school, deciding to leave it. He might never have to deal with those thoughts again anyway.

* * *

Monday turns out to be just like a normal day for Blaine, except that he can't really concentrate much on anything. He tries to really focus in his classes, but he just can't. Every time he does, he gets thoughts that pop into his head. Thoughts about Rachel. Was kissing her just a bit of drunken fun? Was it just _Rachel_ that he liked to kiss, or was it all girls? How should he go about finding that out? He really wasn't sure, and when Kurt agreed to meet him at the Lima Bean after school for their usual coffee, he was glad. He wasn't sure if he was going to ask for Kurt's advice on the matter or if he was going to figure it out by himself, but just having Kurt around him was comforting. The boy seemed to have that sort of effect on him.

"How's your head today?" Kurt asks as they stand in line to order their coffee and Blaine can't help but roll his eyes.

"My head is fine, thank you. The party was on Saturday, it's Monday" he points out and Kurt chuckles softly.

"So? I got a text from Mercedes today, apparently most of the New Directions are still hung over. Though we were the first to leave" He adds and steps forwards towards the counter and orders two medium drips and pays before they head off to the side to wait.

"You're ordering a medium drip?" Blaine muses with a raised brow. "But you love mocha"

"Well, you get mediums drips all the time so there must be something appealing about it. Besides, we all have to try something different once in a while" Kurt gives him a look before he smiles, and Blaine can't help but think that he isn't just talking about coffee.

"Very true. I get it because it's strong and I need that right now" he sighs and Kurt snorts.

"Well yeah. As much as you deny it, you've been weirdly silent all day. You are _definitely_ still hung over"

"I didn't drink that much" Blaine argues and Kurt grins at him as they move over towards the pick-up area for their coffee's

"Are you kidding? You spent the entire night sucking Rachel Berry's face" Kurt chuckles as Blaine's phone starts to vibrate in his pocket. "That, sir, is what we call rock bottom".

Blaine looks at the caller ID and sees Rachel's name there and he smiles a little. Rachel never calls him.

"Oh, my God. Speak of the devil," he hums as their coffees are called out and he answers the call. "Hi, Rachel. Kurt and I were just talking about you" he hums, and he can hear Rachel give out a soft sigh on the other end of the phone.

"You're such a cutie-pie with your blazer and your pants. So, I have a question for you…I wanted to know, if you'd be interested in going out tomorrow night with me? A movie date?"

"Is she drunk?" Kurt asks and Blaine shushes him as he tries to listen to Rachel.

"Um, yeah"

"How's 6? You can pick me up?"

"Uh-huh. All right, I'll see you then"

"Can't wait. Wear something warm. Bye Blaine"

"Okay, bye."

Blaine takes his seat and hangs up the call, feeling a little shocked and almost sheepish. He'd give it to Kurt, Rachel _did_ sound a little tipsy, but perhaps she was just feeling elated and nervous. She did ask _him_ out after all, and not many girls were in the habit of asking guys out on dates as far as he knew.

"Rachel just asked me out" he laughs and Kurt laughs with him and Blaine actually can't believe it.

"Oh, that's amazing. She's got a girl crush on you." Kurt hums and Blaine gets up from the table and makes his way over to the condiments stand to get some sugar and a mixer, milling things over in his head. Rachel Berry had just asked him out on a date, and he'd agreed to go. He hadn't actually stopped to think about it, the agreement had been out of his mouth before his brain had really made any form on connection.

"Wait a second…why'd you say yes? You can't lead her on." Kurt looks over at him and Blaine takes in a breath. Well, now he's seemingly gotten over the hard part of telling Kurt about his potential feelings towards both sexes. Sort of.

"Who says I'm leading her on?" he takes the moment to muse and goes back to his seat opposite Kurt, focusing on his drink as the boy looks at him with an expression that can only be described as shock.

"You can't be serious"

"When we kissed, it- it felt good" Blaine almost shrugs it off, trying to keep his tone as light hearted as he possibly could. He was not too sure what he had expected from Kurt's reaction, maybe a little bit of reservation at first that was born out of curiosity, if anything.

"It felt good because you were drunk" Kurt insists, and Blaine rips open his sugar to pour into his coffee. The smell is making his mouth water and he really needs all the caffeine he can get right now.

"What's the harm in going out on one crummy little date?" he asks and he almost regrets asking, because from the tone of Kurt's voice and the look in his eyes, apparently there is harm.

"You're gay, Blaine!" Kurt hisses in a hushed tone and Blaine frowns just a little.

"I thought I was, but I've never even had a boyfriend before. Isn't this the time you're supposed to figure stuff out?" he isn't really asking in search of an answer, because he knows that this _is_ the time in his life that he should be figuring this out, and saying yes to Rachel's date was his way of doing that.

"I can't believe that I'm hearing this right now" Kurt breathes, and Blaine swallows before he says his next sentence.

"Maybe I'm bi. I don't know."

He says it and lets it sit on his tongue for a moment.

_Bisexual. _

Is that what he is? Does this make him bisexual? Didn't his father say to him recently that there were so many labels these days? Maybe it wasn't as black and white as he first thought.

"Bisexual" is a term that gay guys in high school use when they want to hold hands with girls and feel like a normal person for a change" Kurt huffs and Blaine's frown settles onto his face at that.

He was most definitely _not_ expecting that to come from Kurt. The boy sounded angry, almost as if Blaine was attacking him personally.

"Whoa. Wait, wait. Why are you so angry?" He shuffles forward in his seat, trying to wrap his head around Kurt's intense mood change.

"Because I look up to you. I admire how proud you are of who you are", Kurt begins and Blaine has to look away, because yes, he is proud and it had taken him a long time to reach that point… but wasn't it okay to question? "I know what it's like to be in the closet, and here you are about to tiptoe back in." Kurt whispers harshly and that is what gets to him. The amount of times he'd been _told _ to just get back in the closet, to just man up and play straight… Kurt's words cut him like a knife that he never thought Kurt would be the one to wield it.

"I'm really sorry if this hurts your feelings or- or your pride or whatever, but however confusing  
it might be for you...it's actually a lot more confusing for me. You're 100% sure who you are. Fantastic! Well… maybe we all can't be so lucky" He sighs and tries to jam the coffee cup lid back on his coffee as it pops off yet again as he speaks and he

"Yeah, I have- I've had a lot of luck, Blaine. I was really lucky to be chased out of high school by a bully who threatened to kill me." Kurt replies back firmly, and Blaine's eyes narrow a little at the hypocritical remark.

"And why did he do that?" Blaine asks, already knowing that he's baiting Kurt into an answer he can use against him, but he doesn't care. He's pissed off.

"Because he didn't like who I was" Kurt answers right on cue and Blaine nods

"Sort of exactly what you're saying to me right now. Isn't it?" He glares a little and Kurt looks at him with a frown and confusion on his face and Blaine decides he's had enough.

"I am- I'm searching, okay?" he breathes and tries to keep his emotions in check, but it's proving to be quite difficult. He hasn't seen this side to Kurt before, and he doesn't exactly like it. He's judging Blaine for something incredibly natural and Blaine really doesn't need that right now. Especially not from someone he thought was his best friend.  
"I'm honestly just trying to figure out who I am...and for you, of all people, to get down on me for that...I didn't think that's who you were." Blaine shakes his head and gets up from the table, slipping on his red scarf and satchel with ease. He turns and looks at Kurt, who is sitting there almost dumbfounded, but Blaine doesn't care.

"I'll see you. I'd say "bye," but I wouldn't want to make you angry" He knows it's probably a low blow but it's what Kurt deserves right now. He leaves his coffee on the table and he heads out of the Lima Bean without looking back. He's angry. He's upset and hurt, and he just wants to get to a punching bag as fast as he can so he can try and get rid of some of this anger that is boiling up inside of him. His therapist had told him that it wasn't wise to keep things bottled up for as long as he used to, and that finding a healthy release for his anger was in his best interests.

He gets into his car and sits in the driver's seat for a few minutes, just breathing in and out. This was most definitely not how he thought his afternoon was going to go. If he had worked up the courage to speak to Kurt, he had hoped they could have a mature conversation about it and perhaps Kurt could offer him some insights into how he might be feeling. Kurt had kissed a girl after all- Blaine knew that. Maybe Kurt had once felt these feelings too… but given the conversation that had just transpired, Blaine really doubts that.

He grips the steering wheel for a little longer before he makes the drive back to Dalton, silently fuming and confused the entire time. His phone rings and Kurt's name pops up and he doesn't answer it.

Kurt doesn't call again.

* * *

Instead of mulling over the argument he'd had with Kurt, Blaine wakes up on Tuesday and he goes to his classes, making sure to pay no attention to anything but his studies. He opts to sit alone at lunchtime, catching up on his English homework and texting with Rachel about their date. If he's really going to work through this new found interest in women, then he needs to give it his all. He flirts a little with her via text and they discuss what they will wear to the cinema (they've decided to go and watch a showing of Love Story that's on at the revival theatre) and Rachel seems thrilled to know that Blaine happens to own a rather similar sweater to the male lead of the film. He agrees to pick Rachel up at 6pm and the minute the final bell goes he is making his way towards the parking lot, eyes focused on his car. He needs to make the drive to his parent's house, get ready and then go and get Rachel. Just as he's about to reach his car he hears his voice being called and he lets out a small sigh. He turns on his heel and looks right at Kurt as the other boy comes hurrying over to him.

"Blaine" he breathes out and Blaine stands up a little straighter. He hadn't called Kurt back, hadn't text him as he usually did every morning, and he hadn't spoken to him in class. He didn't want to.

"Kurt" he replies and folds his arms across his chest as the other boy takes a small moment to catch his breath. His cheeks are flushed pink and Blaine hates that he still thinks it makes him look adorable.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to you today, you were zipping in and out of classes like the Flash" Kurt tries to joke, and Blaine just deadpans.

"That's because I didn't want to talk to you today, Kurt" he says flatly and doesn't miss the look of hurt that flickers across Kurt's features for a moment before his own expression goes blank as well.

"Oh"

They stand in silence before Blaine lets out a small sigh.

"Is there something you needed? I'm going to be late" he asks and Kurt's head cocks to the side a little.

"Late?"

Blaine doesn't need to share his plans with Kurt. He doesn't need to tell him everything about his life because when he does and Kurt finds that they don't suit _him_, he doesn't react well. But Blaine kind of wants to rub some salt in the wound here. He wants Kurt to know that his uncharacteristic views on bisexuality haven't impacted him in the slightest.

"I have a date tonight. With Rachel. So, if you don't mind… I really don't like to keep a lady waiting" He gives Kurt a final look before he gets into his car and closed the door firmly. He doesn't look at the boy as he starts up the engine and pulls out of the parking lot. He takes in a few deep breaths and starts the drive home, turning up the radio as he goes. He'd messaged his parents to let them know that he would be spending the night at home and they hadn't questioned why. They rarely did.

He sings along to the music the whole ride home and once he's there he bids a quick hello to his parents and hurries up to his room to get ready. He's nervous, but he isn't sure if he's the right _kind_ of nervous. He went out one a date once with Simon and it hadn't gone very well (they'd both ended up with a bad case of food poisoning) but he remembered feeling little butterflies at the idea of maybe holding Simon's hand during the film, or snuggling up close to him in the darkness of the theatre. He'd felt the kind of nervous where you're a little queasy and light. Now, he just feels a little sick. He makes his way into the bathroom and rids himself of his clothes, hoping that a nice, warm shower might calm his nerves and help him to focus. He's been out with Rachel before, they performed together during the holidays, why was he making this such a big deal?

_Because it is a girl. A date with a girl. You swore that would never happen, Anderson. You swore to your father and to your mother and to yourself. What the hell?_

Blaine shakes his head and turned on the taps of the shower. It's just a crummy date. So what if they hold hands? So what if they kiss? That's what people did on dates, and it had felt good when they'd done it at Rachel's party.

_But happens on the next date? Or the next? Rachel is a girl and even girls want sex, Anderson._

The thought blasts to the forefront of his mind and shocks him for a moment. His head was right. If the date went well and they found they had more chemistry and things went _that_ direction... Blaine hadn't ever thought properly about having sex with a woman. He'd had plenty of thoughts about having sex with men. How they would look naked in front of them, how they might look at him when he was naked in front of _them_. How their bodies would feel pressed up against his own, warm and firm under his fingertips, how their lips would feel brushing against his lips, his neck, his chest…

He feels his blood start to flow south and he swallows hard. If he can think this way about men, can't he try and think that way about a woman?

Blaine stands under the warm spray, eyes squeezed closed and tries hard to conjure up an image in his head, one with plump peach lips and a busty cleavage, but it is hard to do. After a minute he gives up and reaches outside the shower to dry his hand and grab his phone. He rests it on the soap dish, out of the way of the water and finds what he is looking for before he takes in a breath and hits play.

The sound is off, but the image is as clear as day. His eyes focus in on the couple on the screen -one man and one woman- and his hand travels slowly down his chest as he tries to breathe evenly. He feels a little bit dirty doing this so close to needing to leave for his date, but he needs to try.

_For science_.

He licks over his lips as he watches the young woman on the screen unzip and start to pull down the male's jeans and Blaine's fingers curl around his own erection as the one on screen is presented and he almost lets out a small whimper.

_Holy hell._

The actor is big, to say the least, but Blaine tries not to focus on that.

He licks his lips and takes in a breath before he starts to slowly stroke himself as the woman takes the man into her finely manicured fingers and lets her tongue swipe over the rather bulbous head. Blaine tries to keep his focus on the woman. On her plump, pink lips, and tries to imagine that she is doing this to him. He shivers a little and looked down at himself, watching as his hand slides up and down his shaft, small drops of pre-cum already beading at his flushed pink head. He bites down on his lip and looks back to the screen.

_Okay, you can do this. Imagine that she's here with you now. She's on her knees and her mouth is doing that to you. Those big eyes looking up at you…_

Blaine frowns when his pleasure seems to dull a little and he speeds up his hand to compensate, trying hard to imagine what it might be like to get a blow job from this woman.

Or any woman.

_Rachel Berry._

The moment the thought enters his head he hears a banging on the bathroom door and he immediately lets go of himself, scrambling to pause the video, almost slipping in the process.

"Sweetheart? I'm heading out to pick up some dinner. Do you want anything?"

His mother's voice fills the room and Blaine swallows hard, wet fingers clutching his phone as he leans out of the shower to try and hastily dry it on his towel.

"No, thank you!" he cries out and presses his head against the glass door, letting out a long breath.

_Well that went well._

He finishes his shower quickly, his hard on dying away quite fast after that, and he doesn't attempt again. He gets dressed into his jeans, light blue button up shirt and yellow sweater, checking himself over in the mirror. His outfit looks almost like Oliver's and he's a little proud. He gels his hair as per the norm and makes his way down the stairs with his tanned coat over his arm, looking around for any signs of his father. He notices that his study door is closed and there's a light on underneath, so he leaves the house silently and grateful he is able to avoid having any other conversation with his father tonight.

* * *

"This will be the fourth time I've seen the film here. Obviously, my Dads have it on tape, but I think there's just something romantic and classic about going to see an old film on a first date, don't you?" Rachel asks as they stand in line for the theatre, her eyes wide and smile just the same. Rachel had hardly stopped talking since Blaine had picked her up half an hour ago, but he doesn't really mind all that much. Rachel talking means that he can really focus on the date, his feelings and what the hell he's actually supposed to be doing. There are quite a few people at the theatre for the event, but very few seem to be in their age bracket. Blaine isn't really surprised, he's only seen Love Story because his mother loved watching it so much when he was growing up, and he really was a sucker for romance. Looking around now he can see a lot of couples in their thirties and forties, all talking about when they first saw the film, whether they will have the same feelings again. A few eyes are on them, and Blaine assumes it's because they're one of three couples under the age of thirty to be in attendance, but the stares really aren't helping to ease his anxiety. He is a little used to being stared at though. In public, he often catches the eyes on teenage girls on him when he's out grocery shopping or getting coffee with friends, and that's okay. He's seen a few heated eyes of some teenage boys too, and that's even more okay. The eyes of the mothers can sometimes be confusing. They're either sizing him up as an appropriate match for their daughters, judging him for his tight pants and colorful bowties, or are thinking something rather gross about him that he knows Noah Puckerman would definitely be into. Most of the time his looks from men are scowls, but tonight is a little different. With Rachel by his side instead of Kurt, he doesn't receive scowls. When he purchases their tickets and buys Rachel a drink and some popcorn for them to share, the ticket attendant actually gives him a grin and a thumbs up as Rachel turns her back, and when the girl casually slips her hand into his he can see that some of the couples are talking to each other, calling them 'cute' and 'sweet', and that's when it hits him.

This would be easy. Liking women would be _easy_. He already knew that, of course he did, but he hadn't quite experienced it like this before. He had never really had anything close to a girlfriend when he was still at East Lima and he didn't really get close to girls like this unless he was in a large group and people couldn't really single him out. If he does turn out to be bisexual, loving girls would make life easier.

The young couple find their seats and Blaine once again compliments Rachel on her Jenny likeness -the black turtleneck and tights, paired off with the tartan skirt- and they settle into their seats.

"Are you okay, Blaine? You're very quiet" Rachel asks as they settle, and Blaine looks over to her and smiles. He isn't being fair. He is so caught up in his head, trying to figure out if this is the right thing for him, when he's not really giving the date a chance at all because of it.

"I'm fine. Sorry, it was just a long school day"

He knows the response is lame, but Rachel seems to take it just fine.

"Tell me about it. It's alcohol awareness week at McKinley and we're really struggling to find a song that will ward teens away from drinking. Personally, I had quite good time with alcohol on Friday" Rachel looks up at Blaine from under her lashes and Blaine swallows.

"Me too. It was a great party. I didn't know you could dance so well" he smiles and Rachel giggles.

"That wasn't proper dancing though. That was more… bumping and grinding," she flushes a little and takes a sip from her soda. "Though I have been in dance classes since I was 3 years old" she adds, and Blaine smiled a little wider at that.

"I never went to proper classes until I was about 10, but my brother tried to teach me before that" Blaine smiles and pops some of the popcorn into his mouth.

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah. Do you prefer ballet or contemporary?" Blaine changes the subject back to dance and Rachel takes it happily without question.

"Ballet. It just makes me feel so graceful, which is what every woman wants to feel like"

"I'll take your word for it. And I let you would look lovely in those pink ballet shoes" he hums and Rachel blushes softly.

"Thank you"

The lights start to dim, and the movie begins to play, and Blaine feels himself relaxing more as it goes on. Rachel's hand finds his own and he doesn't protest as their fingers slide together, her small hand fitting nicely in his own. They mouth along to the words together and Blaine provides Rachel with a tissue or two when required, and he has a nice time. It's _nice_. The movie comes to an end and they file out of the theatre, hand in hand and Blaine likes it. Rachel babbles with him on and on about the film as they head to the car and the talk continues during the drive to her house.

"You know something I never understood though. Why is Oliver so against getting his fathers help? I mean, I know if someone wanted to give me a foot in the door to Broadway, I'd leap at the chance" Rachel sighs and Blaine can't help but chuckle.

"I see where you're coming from, but sometimes you want to be able to do things on your own. Prove you can"

"It's that just so typical of a _boy_" Rachel rolls her eyes and looks over and Blaine and the boy just gives her a tight smile back.

"I suppose. I mean… I understand it. My Dad can sometimes be… the kind of guy who tries to use his name to help me and whilst I appreciate it, sometimes it's nice to now that you got something purely because _you_ worked for it" Blaine shrugs and grips the wheel a little tighter, feeling Rachel's eyes running over him as she takes in what he's just said.

"What did he do for you?" she asks, and Blaine lets his tongue dart out to wet his lips for a moment before he smiles tightly.

"Dalton. I got into Dalton because of my Dad"

"Oh. So… were your grades not good?"

"No, they were. I just… I wanted to be able to do it alone, you know? Not that is matters anymore" he hums and doesn't tell Rachel that prior to his acceptance at Dalton, he'd begged his father to help him. To use the Anderson name, he always carried on and on about to get his youngest son into the school, into the safety of the gates of Dalton Academy. He doesn't tell Rachel how shameful it felt to have know that power wasn't used properly. He doesn't tell her anything at all.

Blaine pulls up outside the girl's house and like the gentlemen he is, he walks her to he front door and presses a light kiss to her cheek and thanks her for a lovely night.

"You… you too, Blaine" Rachel gives him a large, beaming smile before he disappears into the house and leaves Blaine alone once again with his thoughts. He makes his way back to his car and begins the drive home. He'll need to get up much earlier for school, but he knows he isn't going to be getting much sleep. How can he? His date with Rachel had been lovely, and he really did like spending time with the girl. Being with her had felt nice and maybe another date could work for him.

Maybe.

* * *

Whilst Blaine prides himself on being a gentleman, he is always a teenage boy who has watched way too many movies to know better than to contact a girl right after a date. So, he doesn't call Rachel when he gets home, and he doesn't call her the next day either. On Thursday morning he sends her a message to ask how her week is going and he gets a reply filled with lots of emoji's and he decides that maybe he'll just call her after his coffee today. He also hasn't spoken to Kurt since Tuesday outside of asking him to please move two steps to left during rehearsal Thursday afternoon. He doesn't even comment when Kurt leaves the rehearsal early. Kurt isn't his problem anymore. Blaine knows that it's probably petty to be holding a grudge against Kurt, but his own confusion really isn't helping the matter, and if he's _really_ honest with himself… he's feeling a little frustrated.

Sexually.

He hasn't been able to get off since a rather wonderful shower session he'd had on Saturday morning when James was out at Lacrosse and he had the dorm room all to himself. Blaine knows that he could go a week without it, but he's a teenage boy and he has needs and thoughts and random and inappropriate boners that he _really_ wants to deal with, but his brain just won't let him. He's still torn. Should he be watching straight porn now? Will watching the man more in straight porn make him less bisexual? Did it need to be a 50/50 split? He didn't have the answers and it was really starting to give him a headache.

He tries to shake away the thoughts and focus on what he's going to be doing the coming Friday night. He has homework assignments to get through, but he does also have another killer gaming session lined up with Wes, so maybe that would prove to be a nice distraction for him. He's waiting in line at the Lima Bean, mulling things over in his head when a small brunette in red comes into his peripheral vision and he turns, smiling when he sees Rachel there.

"Hey Rachel! What's going on-"

He's cut off as the girl grabs his shoulder and leans up, pressing their lips together in a firm kiss. Blaine is shocked for a moment, but he goes with it. Rachel is kissing him and it feels…plain. It feels plain and like lips touching lips. His toes don't curl and his stomach doesn't do little flips. He doesn't have the urge to press back, to wind his arms around her small frame and hold her there. Her lips taste like cherry lip balm again and Blaine thinks that flavour is more of a thrill to him that the actual kiss itself. It's like a switch it flipped in his brain and when Rachel pulls back and stares at him with large eyes, he just stands there for a moment and ponders.

"Huh" he breathes out and then smiles. "Yep. I'm gay. 100% gay. Thank you so much for clearing that up for me, Rachel" he smiles at the girl and takes in a breath. "Listen, save my space in line, will you? I've gotta go hit the rest room" he swallowed and steps out of line, leaving the girl looking a little bewildered as he heads towards the men's bathroom. His lips are tingling but he knows that it's just from the lip balm. He moves immediately over to the sink and stares at himself for a long moment, taking in his reflection. This is him.

Blaine Anderson.

Gay.

He grins a little and shakes his head, washing his hands as he takes a moment to let everything really sink in. The world around him seems clearer now, the air somewhat sweeter. He'd been so confused for the past week and now he was swimming in an ocean of clarity, and he really could not stop smiling. Was this how it felt to love yourself? He wasn't sure. He'd never really been in that position before, but this definitely feels like a step in the right direction. He fixes his tie and nods to his reflection once more before he makes his way back to the line, stopping when he sees the boy in the Dalton uniform holding his place, Rachel nowhere in sight.

"Rachel left?" he asks and Kurt nods, his arms folded over his chest.

"Song writing emergency. Inspiration struck" the taller boy hums and Blaine nods, feeling a little uneasy. He's still upset with Kurt, but seeing the boy in front of him now, it makes it harder and harder as each second passes.

"Well… I don't really need a coffee…" he begins, and Kurt drops his arms.

"Have coffee with me"

"Kurt…"

"It's tradition"

"I'm upset with you"

"So, let me apologize."

"You already have"

"So, let me do it again"

Blaine takes a deep breath in through his nose and then lets it out again.

"Fine"

They order their coffee and wait in silence, finding a small, secluded table off to the side once they're ready. Blaine sits down primly and makes sure that his posture is perfect, not wanting to seem too relaxed about the other boy. Not yet.

Kurt shuffled in his seat, adjust his scarf and looks up at Blaine.

"I'm sorry"

"So you've said"

"Blaine" Kurt raises an eyebrow at him and Blaine sighs, gesturing wordlessly for the boy to continue.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how I reacted when you told me that you-you might be interested in girls as well as boys. I'm sorry that I didn't take into consideration your thoughts and feelings and I'm sorry that I was closed minded. It must have made you feel awful and… and alone and I really didn't intend for that to be the case." Kurt sighs softly, both of his hands wrapped around his coffee cup. "Most of all, I'm sorry that I made you feel like you can't tell me things. Because you can. I reacted in a- an unbecoming way and it won't happen again"

"I appreciate your apology, Kurt" Blaine tells him and sits up a little straighter in his seat, his fingers tapping against his coffee cup.

"I feel like there is a 'but' there" Kurt says quietly, and Blaine lets out a soft sigh.

"But… what you said really hurt me. And frankly, I think it would hurt a lot of people," Blaine begins and looks at the boy with a blank expression. "Whilst I was clearly having a lapse in self-judgement, it was really hurtful for you to tear down the fact that I was questioning my orientation. So, what if I like girls? Or boys? Or both? It isn't for you to decide" Blaine tells him, and he can see that Kurt does look ashamed.

"I was just… I guess I was a little hurt" Kurt admits, and Blaine shakes his head.

"Kurt, at the end of the day it was nothing to do with you at all. You – just like everyone else – have no right to tell me who I am. That's for me to decide and me alone."

Blaine knows that his voice is firm, his eyes are hard, and his jaw is set, but he was _hurt_ by Kurt's words. He honestly didn't think that Kurt could have such a closed-minded opinion on the subject, and to learn that he had – well that had shaken Blaine a little.

"I know. God… Blaine I really am sorry. I was just…", Kurt sighs and fiddles with the rip of his cup before he meets Blaine's gaze, his eyes large and worried and guilty. "I was annoyed. I was annoyed because I looked up to you and to have you question yourself meant that maybe I had been wrong the whole time too… and that was incredibly selfish of me" he breathes and Blaine nods in agreement.

"Yeah"

"And I get that. I do. I don't think bisexual is just a term that gay guys use to feel normal for a change… I don't. I was drawing on my own past experiences on that front and it was wrong of me. I _know_ that. And I… I was…" he trails off and his eyes seem to become far too interested in his coffee cup.

"You were jealous"

Blaine finishes the sentence for him, and Kurt's head snaps up, staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I-what?" he breathes and Blaine sighs softly before he takes a sip of the coffee, savoring the taste on his tongue before he sets the cup down again, swallows, and meets Kurt's stunned gaze.

"You were jealous. That I was taking Rachel on a date and not you" he says, and his tone softens just a little when he sees the blush come roaring onto the boy's pale cheeks.

"Blaine…"

"It's okay. I know that we haven't spoken about it since Valentine's Day, and that's partially my fault. I meant what I said Kurt, I don't want to screw my friendship up with you. In any way. I know my dating Rachel may have impacted on that, and for that _I _apologize. But I had to know if girls were a possibility for me"

"And… they aren't?" Kurt queries, his cheek still pink and Blaine smiles just a little.

"No. They aren't. I'm definitely gay" he hums a little and tries not to feel so happy at the feeling if pride that starts to grow in his chest as he says that. He has said it before, countless times to himself, but there's just something about finally, really _knowing_ that he just can't get over.

He feels refreshed and renewed and _himself_.

"But just because you turned out to be right and I was just drunk… it doesn't excuse what you said" Blaine tells him straight out.

"I know"

"And you really, really need to think hard about what you said and know how wrong it was. You could have bisexual friends and I wouldn't want them to ever feel how I felt" Blaine swallowed and Kurt takes in a breath before he reached across the table and takes Blaine's hand, squeezing it tightly in his own.

"Blaine. It won't happen again. I was wrong. I know that and I won't _ever_ be so closed minded again. You have my word" he breathes and Blaine looks at him for a long moment, taking in his sincere expression and his large, blue eyes.

"Okay." He nods and Kurt lets go of his hand, giving him a small smile.

"Okay"

They sit in silence for a moment and Blaine takes a few sips of his coffee, enjoying the warmth that rushes into him from it.

"I'm glad that it happened though. That I was able to find myself"

"Well. I'm happy for you" Kurt hums and sips his coffee a little before he chuckles. "You did look a little funny. Standing there in the middle of Lima Ohio, announcing that you're _100% _gay" he teases, and Blaine rolls his eyes.

"I didn't say it _that_ loudly"

"Oh, you did."

"I did not"

"You may as well have been shouting it from the rooftops, Blaine. You're gay! We get it" Kurt smirks a little and sets his coffee cup down. "And now I have to be known at the guy who's sitting with the obnoxiously gay kid" he teases him and Blaine mock gasps.

"Kurt, if you're so con vinced I'm a loser, why did you bull doze me into having cof fee?" Blaine chuckles just a little, shaking his head and Kurt looks at him for a moment and smiles right back.

"I like your body"

Blaine laughs softly and settles back in his chair.

"Rachel told you about the date then, huh?" he asks, and Kurt takes a sip from his coffee and nods.

"I may have been bulldozing again and demanded the details, but she said you were the perfect gentlemen"

"Would you expect anything less?"

"Not at all"

They sit there for a moment of silence before Kurt speaks up.

"Blaine… I really am sorry"

"I know"

"So… friends again?" he asks and Blaine flashes him another smile. Sincere and hopeful.

"Always"

* * *

_**Thank you all for reading **__** I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. One step closer to our boys FINALY getting together. Next up is another one of my fav episodes, SEXY!**_


	11. Chapter 11 - Sexy

**_Hello!_**

**_Oh my god, it's been so long and I am so sorry!_**

**_I've been trying to get this dang chapter finished for weeks now, but it has been so hard to try and do it justice. Thank you all so much for following along to this story and showing it some love._**

**_It's been a rather hard time for everyone in the world right now, I've been really trying to cope myself. Hopefully now things are settling down a little down under I can start to post a little faster._**

**_Please enjoy, let me know your thoughts. Keep safe and well xx_**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**Sexy**

"Oh… god! K-Keep going!"

The words rush out of Blaine's mouth before he moans loudly, his fingers tangling into the soft tufts of hair on the boy's head, tugging and guiding him up and down over his aching length.

It's a fantastic feeling, warm and wet and so very, very sexy. Blaine can feel his toes curling and the muscles in his thighs start to ache in a soft burn as a firm hand rubs over them, urging him on. His mouth is a little dry and his lips part around another moan and he can feel himself letting go, completely enveloped in this perfect, delicious heat…

He shudders and blinks his eyes open rapidly, breath hitching in his throat as everything comes into focus around him. He's in his bed, _alone_, with an uncomfortable and sticky feeling in his pajama pants. He blinks again and notices that the sun is streaming in through the windows on the other side of his dorm room, and James' bed seems to be empty.

_Thank God._

He groans and rubs his eyes, chest starting to slow as his breathing normalizes. It's the third time in a week that he's woken up after a particularly intense orgasm, and he doesn't know why. He hasn't started jerking off more regularly, and there hasn't been an influx of hot boys around the school for him to daydream about. He did think that it could have had something to do with the fact that he was finally 100% sure about who he was, and he'd had a particularly great night after his kiss with Rachel, but it had been business as usual since then.

He slowly climbs out of bed and tiptoes his way to the bathroom, peeling off his sticky pajama pants before he climbs into the shower to wash himself and get ready for the day. He has a Geography test today and his usual coffee date with Kurt, so he'll need to do the laundry when he returns after 5pm.

He just hopes that James does not go snooping through the laundry basket.

He hears his phone buzz a few times, but he doesn't check it until he'd seated in his calculus class about an hour later.

_**From: Wes  
**_**Any song ideas for this week? Whilst I do enjoy the idea of reviving Train again, I'm sort of feeling Pink?**

_**From: Blaine  
**_**I haven't had any bouts of inspiration yet **

_**From: Wes  
**_**Well- have you asked your muse? **

_**From: Blaine  
**_**? **

_**From: Wes  
**_**Kurt. Have you asked Kurt? **

_**From: Blaine  
**_** I thought the Council was in charge of song selection **

_**From: Wes  
**_**Don't be cocky. Ask Kurt and get back to me later **

Blaine grins as he sets his phone away into his blazer pocket and leans forward in his seat, reaching out to poke Kurt between the shoulder blades with his pen.

Kurt spins around and raises a brow at him quizzically, a small, red mark on his cheek from where he's been leaning on the heel of his palm during the class.

"Do you have any ideas for Regionals?"

Kurt blinks at him and frowns.

"What?"

"Do you have any-"

"Mr Anderson! Mr Hummel! Is there a reason as to why you think your social lives matter more than my teachings?"

Blaine looks over the top of Kurt's head to flash a smile at Mr Hewitt, the middle-aged man giving him a glare in return.

"Apologies, Sir. I was just asking Kurt for a pencil" he smiles at the man, who folds his arms across his chest.

"Next time I suggest you bring a spare, as not to interrupt my class."

"Of course, Sir. Noted"

Mr Hewitt turns and goes back to the board and Kurt faces the front once again. Blaine ignores the chuckles coming from beside him as Nick struggles to contain himself, clearly not focused on his work.

"Oooh, Sir" he teases and narrowly avoids Blaine's hand as it swipes across the desk to smack him over the back of the head.

"I won't miss next time" Blaine huffs and Nick just grins at him before getting back to his work. Blaine's eyes return to his own page and he tugs his lower lip between his teeth, nibbling as he tries to solve the equation when a piece of folded paper lands neatly on his desk. He looks up and sees Kurt flashing him a small smile before the boy turns to face his own paper again. Blaine chances a glance towards Mr Hewitt, notes that he is busy writing on the board, and he quickly opens the note to read Kurt's elegant scrawl.

_We can discuss over coffee? My treat xx_

Blaine grins and stows the note into the pocket of his blazer before he goes back to his work.

A coffee date sounded great.

* * *

The Lima Bean is busy when they shuffle in, but Blaine doesn't really mind. He happens to be in a fantastic mood. The rest of his day had gone well, he'd gotten his English essay back and received an A+, he'd nailed his Chemistry test and his Government teacher had told him he was sitting in the top 5% of his class. James had also stopped him at lunch to let him know that he would be out with his girlfriend for most of the night so he could have the dorm room to himself. So, naturally, Blaine had invited Kurt over for a late-night study session that he was certain was going to turn into yet another Grey's Anatomy marathon, which he didn't really mind at all.

"So, Wes really asked for my opinion on song selection for Regionals?" Kurt hums and looks over at Blaine with a skeptical brow and Blaine just smiles.

"Sure! Well, he asked for my opinion, but I told him I'd ask you, and he didn't protest. I'd say that's as good as asking you directly"

"Well, I'll take it."

Blaine grins at Kurt as they move forward a little in line.

"I was personally thinking we should delve a little more into Maroon 5" He hums and doesn't miss the roll of Kurt's eyes.

"What?"

"You're just saying that because you think Adam Levine is hot"

"Well, he is"

"Yes, but it's not a good enough reason for us to perform his songs at Regionals. We should be doing someone more…old school. Classic." Kurt shrugs and Blaine just smiles at him.

"Mmm, why do I have a feeling that you already have something on your mind?"

"Don't you think it's time for the Warblers to do a Joan Armatrading medley?"

"Um, I'm not so sure people know who that is." Blaine looks to Kurt and watches at the look of obvious shock written on his features. He looks like he's about to protest that when a voice picks up from behind them.

"Well, well. If it isn't my sweet, sweet Porcelain."

Blaine looks over his shoulder and sees a tall, skinny blonde woman standing in a golden tracksuit, looking at Kurt with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Coach Sylvester. What are you doing here?"

Blaine sees the look in Kurt's eyes and he just smiles. He's heard stories about Sue Sylvester, and he isn't at all surprised at the slightly cold reception Kurt is giving her.

"Just picking up some coffee. I like my enemas piping hot."

Blaine isn't too sure if he's heard her correctly, but judging by the totally unimpressed look on Kurt' face, he has.

"Actually, boys, I heard that this was a Dalton Academy hangout, and I come in a spirit of fellowship. As you, no doubt, have heard, I've taken over for the coach of Aural Intensity."

"We heard you pushed him down the stairs."

"Well, you can't prove that."

"This is just sort of how she talks." Kurt says as he leans closer to Blaine and the boy just smiles. It really isn't his place to comment, though he definitely thinks this woman is on some level – totally crazy.

"So, I happen to have some top-secret intel."

It's their turn to order so Blaine takes it upon himself to buy the coffees for himself and Kurt as Sue follows them.

"Well, we aren't overly interested-" Kurt begins but is cut off by Sue right away as she leans over Blaine to bark her order at the Barista. Kurt gently takes Blaine by the elbow and pulls him off to the side.

"If you just smile and nod along, she might get bored and leave" he whispers, and Blaine just smiles at him.

"It's no problem, Kurt. She just seems a little outlandish is all"

"Oh Blaine, you have no idea"

Sue makes her way over to them once she finishes giving exact instructions to the Barista and folds her arms across her chest.

"I was walking by that god-awful choir room yesterday and I noticed one of Schuester's scrawls up on the whiteboard. He really has no idea what the words 'covert' or 'discrete' mean, and so I was able to gage quite quickly what it is the New Directions are working on in order to get a leg up at Regionals" Sue begins and when their names are called, Blaine grabs their drinks and follows Sue as she makes her way over to the condiments station.

"The New Directions are getting sexy. And the key to Regionals is out-sexing them. And I suspect that the judges are scoring extra for it this year. So, Porcelain. Quid pro quo. What do you have for me?"

"I'm sorry, Coach, but you and I are not in cahoots."

"Probably should have nailed that down before I gave you my top-secret intel. Porcelain, you just made a powerful enemy."

Blaine stares after the woman and his mind is racing.

_The New Directions are doing something sexy? Sexy? Sex? That's genius. Everyone knows that sex sells!_

"We gotta hold an emergency meeting" He breathes and Kurt blinks at him.

"Why?"

"Weren't you listening? The judges at Regionals have an eye out for something new, which means: Warblers gotta do something sexified" Blaine grins and lifts his coffee to his lips to take a small sip.

"Oh lord. Please no. You really do not have to listen to a thing that woman says"

"Kurt, she's a champion. A crazed one at that, but still. And she has a point. If the judges are on the look out for something new and different, what's as different as a sexy show choir? We go to a private school. We have blazers and blazers are sexy"

"No. The blazer isn't sexy, Blaine"

"Yes it is. And I'm going to prove it to you" Blaine grins from ear to ear as he loops his arm through Kurt's and begins to walk him back out to the car park.

"Blaine, I don't want you to prove to me how sexy a blazer is" Kurt sighs as they step outside, eyes scanning the lot for Blaine's car.

"Not just to you, Kurt. I'll prove it to everyone. Our sister school, Crawford Country Day, happen to house most of the Dalton boys girlfriends, and trust me, they _love_ the blazer" A small smirk plays on Blaine's lips as he unlocks his car and he and Kurt climb in, turning the engine on to get the heating going.

"And you would know this how?"

"I've heard James and his girlfriend going at it a few times, and she makes him keep the blazer on" Blaine chuckles and Kurt groans in horror in response.

"Never tell me that again"

"You mean to tell me you don't like the blazer?"

"No, I don't. It's so stock standard and limiting for the scope of one's fashionable imagination"

"So, you're saying I look stock standard?" Blaine smirks and glances over at Kurt, the boy staring at him in shock.

"No! I didn't say that."

"But it's implied"

"No it isn't"

"Yes it is. You think I look stock standard"

"Blaine, I don't!"

"Tell me I'm sexy in the blazer, Kurt"

"Blaine!"

Blaine laughs loudly and enjoys the wonderful pink flush in Kurt's cheeks the whole car ride back to Dalton.

* * *

Getting the Warblers to agree to a 'sexy' performance in front of their sister school really hadn't been that hard of a task. All Blaine had to say was 'sexy, girls, and performance' and they had been sold. The biggest debate had been what song choice they were going to go with.

"It has to be something by Rhianna, surely. I'm thinking, S&M" Thad grins from his place at the table and Kurt flushes bright pink.

"Really? Isn't that song about BDSM?"

"No, it's about chains and whips"

"Yeah, so BDSM?"

Thad brushes off the statement and Wes raises his hand.

"S&M is probably coming on a little too strong, Warbler Thad. Warbler Kurt has a point. We don't want to scare the girls; we want them to be intoxicated by our performance." Wes nods and Thad sighs and looks around the room.

"Okay, then I guess we'll be taking suggestions"

"Oh! We could do Low, by Flo Rida" Jeff calls out and Nick shakes his head.

"We could never pull that off. We should be thinking classic sexy, like Mick Jagger"

"Oh god no. We need something a little more modern. The girls should probably know the song we're singing" Trent pipes up and Kurt looks over to Blaine.

"I can see now why the council makes the song decisions" he chuckles and Blaine grins back.

"Oh yeah"

The pair sit side by side and watch as an argument breaks out between the Warblers when a disagreement arises about why they shouldn't attempt to sing any NSYNC songs, Wes banging his gavel down hard.

"Enough! Warbler David, please open your iPod and hit shuffle" Wes points the gavel to David, who digs around a little in his pocket and pulls out his iPod and does exactly that.

"Tell me which song is playing"

"Animal, by Neon Trees" David tells him, and Wes hits the gavel down once more.

"Decided. We will be singing Animal, by Neon Trees."

Blaine doesn't protest as a few of the Warblers looks slightly confused. He knows he can sing that song in his sleep, and the harmonies should be easy enough.

"Perfect. Now gentlemen, lets talk about dance moves-" Wes begins and Nick raises his hand.

"Warbler Nick?"

"I don't mean to interrupt but how exactly are we going to get the girls to come to this performance? And… where are we performing?"

At this the conversation starts up again and Andy gets to his feet.

"My fellow brothers, I have a plan. Bella goes to Crawford Country Day, and I'm sure that if I ask nicely enough, she can get some of the girls to agree to a little performance meeting" the young man grins and looks over to the council. "And there's an abandoned warehouse a few miles from the school." He shrugs and Blaine smirks a little.

"And how do you know about this place?"

"Shut it Blaine" Andy huffs and Blaine just sniggers in response. Wes bangs down his gavel and grins around the room.

"Decided. Warbler Andy will make the arrangements and report back with confirmation. Now, dance moves!"

* * *

Getting the girls to agree to come to the almost creepy warehouse was actually easier than Blaine expected it to be. Apparently, the idea of meeting covertly with a bunch of singing prep schoolboys was far more appealing that studying, so they'd decided to come along rather quickly.

Blaine finds himself standing in front of the group of girls, all of them smiling at him and twirling their hair between their fingers.

"I would like to welcome the ladies of our sister school, Crawford Country Day. As you know, the Warblers are competing in our show choir's regional competition next week. So, what we're going for here today, ladies, is something a little… little sexy. But we need your input. Are we _scream-worthy_? Do we make your knees turn to jelly? So, without further ado, hang on to your bobby socks, girls, cause we're about to rock your world."

The girls giggle and Blaine hurries over to the rest of the Warblers and they quickly check themselves over before they begin their performance, and Blaine thinks the start couldn't have gone any better. Everyone sounds amazing, they move exactly as planned and his and Kurt's voices blend so very well together. He finds that he and Kurt move around the structure they're on with ease (there had been a few issues in rehearsal that involved a few scraped knees and twisted ankle on Blaine's account) and he almost thinks they've nailed this, until he's sees Kurt's facial expressions. Whilst the rest of the group are doing their darndest to be as sexy as they could be, Kurt appears to be in pain. His face is contorting in a way that has Blaine a little worried. He tosses up whether or not he should actually stop the performance, but then the foam hits and Kurt is smiling and running around with him and Blaine pushes the strange faces to the back of his mind. The song comes to an end and the girls cheer wildly, still racing around in the foam with the Warblers. Andy seems to have found his girlfriend and is happily making out with her in a soapy puddle and Blaine takes the opportunity to flow a beach ball at them.

"Fuck off Anderson!"

Blaine laughs and takes one of the girls by the hand and spins her around to lead her out of the way of a foam fight that has now erupted between Jeff and Nick. She giggles softly and hurries over towards her friends.

"Ladies! What do you think?" He calls out and the cheer from them that meets his ears is more than enough confirmation that they killed the performance. Blaine moves to find a towel and starts to rub down his hair that is currently a little wet with foam as the Warblers start to try and clear away the blow up toys they'd brought with them. He stood talking to two of the girls and found that they were actually friends of Bella's and had been meaning to come along to some of the Dalton movie nights the boys had hosted for a while now. Blaine is fairly sure that they might be flirting with him, but his suspicions aren't confirmed until they reach out to him with two pieces of paper that they had clearly already prepared before arrival.

"Call us."

Because he's a gentleman, Blaine takes the numbers but chuckles softly. The gesture is sweet, but these numbers would be getting handed to his single, straight friends, or going into the trash.

"Sweet, but not on your team." He hums and the girls look at each other with a sigh. Blaine just smiles and turns, making his way over towards Kurt. Now that most of the Warblers have scattered to either try and charm some of the girls or to fix their blazers, he has some time to talk to Kurt about the little display during their performance.

"Are you okay? You kept making these weird faces the whole song." Blaine thinks that maybe starting out honest is the best way to go, but by the look on Kurt's face, something hadn't actually been wrong.

"Those aren't weird faces; those are my sexy faces."

_Sexy faces? Really?_

"It just looked like you were having gas pains, or something."

_Oh, yeah. Nice one Anderson. Ever heard of a little thing called tact?  
_  
"Great. How are we supposed to get up on the stage at Regionals and sell sexy to the judges when I have as much sexual appeal and knowledge as a…a baby penguin?" Kurt splutters and Blaine smiles at him fondly.

"We'll figure something out."

"We?" Kurt looks at him with a confused expression and Blaine reaches out to rest his hand on the boy's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

"Sure. I'll help you out. A little acting 101 never killed anyone"

Kurt looks up at him and then averts his gaze, focusing on one of the other Warblers across the other side of the warehouse.

"I don't know. What do you expect me to do?"

"Well, we can try a few things. Don't worry. I'm not going to make you watch porn with me or anything like that" Blaine chuckles and claps Kurt on the shoulder. "Come on. Get your stuff and I'll follow you back to your Dad's house. You're staying there tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Finn and Carole are going shopping for some new clothes for Finn at the late night markets and Dad thought it would be nice to maybe just have a night in, just us two" he hums and slowly stands, reaching for his bag. Blaine just smiles at him and the pair begin to walk to their respective cars.

"Then I promise not to stay too long"

"Don't be silly. You're always welcome"

Blaine just grins at Kurt and they part ways. Blaine isn't exactly too sure what he's going to do to try and help Kurt with his problem, but he thinks he knows a place where they can start.

* * *

"You want me to look at myself in the mirror?" Kurt queries as they make their way up the stairs to Kurt's room. They've just finished their hot chocolate Kurt made them as a way of attempting to sidetrack Blaine.

"Yeah. It helps me when I'm rehearsing for a performance. I watch myself so I know how I look from the audience. Self-reflection, literally" Blaine hums and Kurt turns to look at him as they reach the top of the stairs.

"You mean to tell me that you _know_ what you look like when you perform, and you still do it?" he raises an eyebrow and grins and ducks as Blaine moves in to mess up his hair for that comment. The pair race to Kurt's rooms and Blaine can tell that Kurt is feeling tense the second they fly through the door. His shoulders go stiff and his fingers start to play with the hem of his school cardigan. Blaine lets his hand rest on the small of Kurt's back and he guides him to sit on the ottoman at the end of Kurt's bed.

"I think we should start by just warming up your face a little" Blaine hums and Kurt looks at him in the mirror.

"Why?"

"So that your muscles are nice and relaxed"

"When will I have time to relax my muscles if I'm about to get… you know… down and dirty?"

The questions comes out in sort of a squeak and Blaine chuckles.

"Trust me, Kurt, you'll be fine. Just do it for now. Treat me like I'm your Jedi Master" he grins, and Kurt shoots him a withering look.

"Fine. But don't try and pull that Star Wars crap with me"

"Oh, so you know what Star Wars is?"

"Blaine!"

"Fine!" Blaine concedes and they spend a few minutes just moving their jaws and lips around, Blaine smiling to himself as Kurt remains a nice shade of pink. When they're done Blaine looks at Kurt's reflection in the mirror and sits up a little straighter.

"Okay, so I'm going to give you a few expressions and I want you to try your best to do them, okay?" He hums softly and Kurt gives him a nod.

"Okay, give me…cheeky" Blaine hums and watches as Kurt bites down a little too hard on his lip and sort of shakes his head a little. Blaine isn't too sure if he's being serious, so he tries again, leading by example this time.

"Right, now give me want" he breathes and lets his own lower lip get pulled ever so slightly into his mouth, his head tilted a little downward, eyes filling with a sort of darkness they didn't have before. His eyes drift over to look at Kurt's reflection, and he sees that he pulls a similar face to the one he was doing before. It's almost comical, but still Blaine persists.

"All right, so give me sensual. But don't make fun of it, like really try."

Whether or not Kurt is trying, Blaine doesn't know. All he knows is that Kurt's sexy faces are most definitely not going to work out in the real world if he is planning on getting laid anytime soon. Kurt's smile might work, but not these faces.

"Okay, now give me sultry."

Kurt goes in for the lip bite and tug and Blaine has to hold in his laughter. He knows he's sort of being an ass at this point, but Kurt really can't seem to differentiate between any of these expressions.

"Uh, Kurt they're all sort of looking the same."

"That's because the face I'm actually doing is uncomfortable." Kurt sighs and gets up, walking over towards his bookshelf before he turns to look at Blaine again. "This is pointless, Blaine. I don't know how to be sexy because I don't know the first thing about sex."

Blaine turns a little, looking up at his friend as his cheeks start to flush that lovely shade of pink again.

"Kurt, you're blushing-"

"I've tried watching _those_ movies, but I just get horribly depressed and I think about how they were all kids once and they all have mothers. And, God, what would their mothers think, and why would you get that tattoo there?"

_My god, you are so adorable._

"Then maybe we should have a conversation about it. I'll tell you what I know." Blaine offered and turns so he is facing Kurt, crossing his legs underneath himself. He's had plenty of these kinds of conversations with the Warblers. Granted, those were usually about heterosexual sex, so this conversation with Kurt should be much smoother.

"I don't want to know the graphic details. I like romance. That's why I like Broadway musicals. Because the touch of the fingertips is as sexy as it gets."

This statement has Blaine both feeling incredibly guilty for trying to ruin Kurt's innocence, but also a little worried for him. What was going to happen if Kurt met someone and things went _there,_ and he was unprepared?

"Kurt, you're going to have to learn about it someday-"

"Well, not today. I think I've learned it quite enough for today, thank you. I think you should leave."

Blaine looks at Kurt for a long moment before he gets up from where he is perched on the stool and he sighs softly, walking passed Kurt to the bedroom door. He stops in the doorway and turns to look back at his friend, who has suddenly become extremely interested in his own fingers.

"You're really kicking me out for trying to help you?"

Kurt doesn't look at him as he answers.

"You're pushing me, Blaine. I-I'm clearly not comfortable with this and you're pushing."

"I just want you to be prepared, that's all" Blaine sighs and at this Kurt frowns and looks over to him.

"Prepared for what? There is nothing to be prepared for. Please…please just leave me alone. I need to study. I-I'll text you later" Kurt looks away from him again, this time choosing to focus his attention on the wall. Blaine opens his mouth to say something, but he stops, presses his lips together and just nods before he leaves the room. He makes his way down the stairs and out of the house, sighing as he gets into his car. He grips the steering wheel and slowly twists his wrists up and down as he sits and just stares ahead at the dashboard.

He'd overstepped. He'd pushed and overstepped, but was it overstepping if you had your best friend's best interests at heart?

Kurt sure seemed to think so.

Blaine sits up straight and turns on the radio before he begins the drive back to Dalton, his conversation with Kurt playing over and over in his head. They had joked about sex before. Well-sexual things- before. All of the Warblers had. They were teenage boys after all, most of the time it was all they could think about and Blaine really wasn't an exception to that rule, and it hadn't crossed his mind before that maybe Kurt was that exception. He just wanted Kurt to be safe. Safe and happy.

But how could he be when he wasn't educated?

Kurt's words keep on ringing in Blaine's mind –'I don't know the first thing about sex'- and that confused him. Hadn't Burt talked to him about this stuff? Wasn't that what parents were supposed to do?

When Blaine's father had first spoken to him about sex, he had been 7 years old.

"_Dad…what's sex?"_

_The question had come out of his mouth before he'd really had a chance to think about it, and Daniel's head snapped up and his eyes settled on his youngest son, standing in front of him in his office, fiddling with the strapping of his school bag._

"_Why do you ask?"_

"_Well, Tim at school was talking about how his big brother was going to be having sex soon. He said that-that he heard him and his friends talking about it and apparently, it's a big deal. Is it a thing that big boys can do? Is it fun? Because I'm 7 now and I think I'm big enough" Blaine looked up at this Dad with large, hopeful eyes and the man sighed softly, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose._

"_Come here" Daniel gestured for the boy to come closer and Blaine dropped his school back and scrambled over to his father. The man lifted him with ease, so he was perched on the edge of his desk, now eye level with each other._

"_Now Blaine, before we have this conversation, I'm going to need you to promise that you won't go talking too much about this at school." Daniel gave him a look that had Blaine nodding instantly._

"_I promise"_

"_Good. Now, your friend's brother was talking about something called sexual intercourse. We call it sex for short. Sex is an act that happens between two people when they want to make a baby"_

_Blaine blinked up at his father with large, innocent eyes. Make a baby? Why would Tim's brother want a baby? All they did was cry and poop and cry._

"_Oh…Why would Tim's brother want that? Babies are really hard to look after. That's why just adults have them, right?" Blaine asked and Daniel chuckled softly at his son, moving to fix his little collar for him._

"_Yes, Blaine. Babies are hard to take care of, which is why sex is such a big deal. It shouldn't be taken lightly. Some people also have sex for fun because it can feel quite good, but when they do that, they need to be careful that they don't end up making a baby. So, when this happens, they have to use something called a contraceptive"._

_Blaine just stared at his father in complete confusion._

"_A-A what?"_

"_Let's just say it's like a barrier, okay?"_

"_A barrier between what?"_

_Daniel let out a small sigh and ran his hands over his face and Blaine felt immediately guilty. He was making his Dad stressed and he really did not want to do that. He had just been curious._

"_Blaine, sex happens when a man…when a man inser-puts his penis inside a woman's vagina"_

_Blaine took a moment to let that sink in before his face screwed up in horror._

"_Why!"_

_His expression became even more repulsed and confused as he tried to think about that. Why would someone want to do that? That sounded like an awful idea. He most certainly did not want to try and put his penis anywhere near the girls at school._

"_Because that's how babies are made. You see Blaine, women have small, micro sized eggs and in order to make a baby, one of those eggs needs to be fertilized, or-or combined with something that men have, called semen. So, when a couple want to make a baby, they have to combine the egg and the semen first, and this happens when the man ejac- when the man released his semen into the woman. I think I have a book for this, actually. We gave it to Cooper…" Daniel trailed off looked over to his bookshelf as Blaine just started at him. This all sounded far too complicated and a little scary. Who knew making babies was so gross?_

"_Dad… I don't understand. If that… if sex is how babies are made, why is Tim's brother doing it? He's only 15!"_

_Daniel looked at his son and gently places his hand on the little boy's knees._

"_Blaine, sex feels good. So sometimes people -especially the younger ones- they want to do it because it feels good. This is where the barrier comes into play. We need to use something to stop the semen from getting to the egg"_

"_Oh! Like how Mum uses those little blockers to separate my peas from my carrots at dinner?" Blaine offered with a big smile and Daniel chuckled softly._

"_Exactly."_

"_So… so Tim's brother is going to use a baby blocker. But… when do I have to have sex? It does not sound fun; it sounds gross" Blaine frowned and Daniel ruffled his little curls._

"_Generally, we say to wait until you're older, much older. A lot of people say to wait until you're married before you have sex, until you want to make a baby. I think we can talk about that when you're a little older. It is not something you need to worry about now, okay? And it isn't something that you should be doing anytime soon. It's actually illegal for you to do it at your age."_

_Blaine nodded quickly and sat up a little straighter on the desk. He didn't want to do anything illegal, not at all._

"_I definitely don't want to. Girls are gross" he huffed and shook his head, trying to push the horrible thought away until it was replaced with another one. "Dad… what if I never want to have sex?" he looked up at his father with a concerned expression and Daniel lent forward and kissed his forehead._

"_Then that's fine. But I guarantee when you're older, you'll want to. But for now, don't worry about it. I'll find you that book and maybe you can read it with your Mother and I when you feel you want to. Just remember what I said and don't go talking too much about it at school"._

_Daniel lifted his son down from the desk and pushed him gently towards the door. Blaine was perfectly fine with not talking about sex again. It was gross and weird, and the very idea did not appeal to him in the slightest. He was certain that he wouldn't be coming to talk to his father about it again anytime soon._

Blaine knows that he should be on his way back to Dalton to have a study session with Thad and Trent, but he's still feeling far too worried about Kurt to even care about a World History test. Whilst his own father had eventually given him the talk again at the age 13 and he'd gone on the internet the very same night to research how people like _him_ had sex, it didn't seem like Kurt had even had the talk beyond what was taught in school, and that really wasn't much. Blaine knew it really wasn't his place to get involved, but he knew just how easy sex was to come by as a gay man. Hell, he'd been propositioned more than once at school by some of the upperclassmen, and whilst he knew he wasn't ready to take that leap, it didn't mean that it couldn't happen. What if he was at a party, drunk and vulnerable and he decided to go for it? He knew about using protection and preparation and telling a friend, but did Kurt? Probably not.

It was fairly obvious to Blaine that Kurt wasn't going to listen to him, and there really wasn't any point in getting the Warblers or any of Kurt's friends to try and talk to him about it either. So, what could he do?

Blaine isn't really too sure how it happened, but he finds himself at Hummel Tires & Lube about 20 minutes later, his coat and scarf wrapped snugly around him, shaking hands shoved low in his pockets. A tall, thin man smiles at him as he enters.

"Hey kid, what can I do you for?" he asks and Blaine flashes him a quick smile.

"I'm here to see Burt Hummel? I'm one of his son's friends from school…"

He doesn't actually have a story as to why he was here, but luckily this man doesn't ask many questions.

"Kurt's friend? Sure thing. Burt's just in the back, head on through. If anyone gives you grief, tell em' Gary let you by" he reaches out and claps Blaine on the shoulder before he goes back to flicking over some sheets of paper and Blaine blinks.

"Oh. Uh- thanks"

He makes his way into the back of the ship and he spots Burt working on an engine. Blaine straightens up his shoulders, walks forward and takes in a breath before he makes himself known to Burt.

"Need a hand?"

Burt looks up at him, a slightly confused with not unwelcoming expression on his face.

"Yeah, why don't you hand me that carburettor."

Blaine looks over at the pile of car parts and he moves to pick up the item quicker than he would have expected, handing it over to Burt with a smile.

"How'd you know which one it was?"

"My dad and I rebuilt a '59 Chevy in our driveway two summers ago. One of his many attempts of bonding." Blaine chuckles and leans back against the cabinet with his arms folded across his chest, unsure as to where the hell that lie had come from. Yes, Daniel Anderson had rebuilt a car with Blaine, but it had not been two summers ago. It had been the summer just passed, the first Summer that Blaine had been truly himself.

"You here looking for parts?" Burt asks, a little hint of excitement in his voice at the idea that Blaine was here for more than just a chat.

"No, actually. I, uh, wanted to talk to you about Kurt."

"Is he okay?"

Burt's question is laced with worry and Blaine knows he should calm the man's nerves, but he doesn't. He doesn't because he's here to talk to Burt Hummel about sex and that is enough to make anyone nervous.

"Have you ever talked to him about sex?"

Blaine immediately regrets just diving in headfirst, but his plan really wasn't that well thought out, and he's kicking himself for this now. He should have just driven back to school. To his surprise, Burt doesn't immediately dismiss him out of hand.

"Are you gay? Or straight, or what?"

Blaine gives a small smile at that, a small sense of pride rushing to his chest at the fact that he can answer this question.

"I'm definitely gay."

"Okay, good. I mean, you know, whatever, but, uh, good for Kurt. He needs someone like you to talk to." Burt gives him a quick smile and Blaine sighs.

"Well, that's kind of my point. I've tried talking to him, but he basically puts his fingers in his ears and starts singing." He implores and Burt turns to him, a sort of uncomfortable smile on this face.

_Yeah, I really don't feel comfortable about this conversation either Mr Hummel, but it's for the best._

"Well, when he's ready, he'll listen." Burt protests a little and Blaine stands up a little straighter.

"I'm worried that it might be too late. You know, Dalton doesn't even have sex ed classes? Most schools don't. And the ones that do almost never discuss what sex is like for gay kids. Kurt is the most moral, compassionate person I've ever met." He breathes out and watches as Burt seems to accept some sort of defeat, his eyes softening.

"He gets that from his mother."

"And I'm blown away by you guys' relationship. You think my dad built a car with me because he loves cars? I think he did it because he thought getting my hands dirty might make me straight." It comes out a little angrier than Blaine expected it to, and he knows that he really shouldn't be sharing details about his family with his friends' father, but he also shouldn't be discussing sex with him either. Burt looks at him and he doesn't get angry. He just sighs and starts to head back over towards the care.

"Yeah, he talk to you about this, uh, kind of stuff?"

"No. I had to go find it for myself. The internet is great, and all the information is out there, but I went searching for it. Kurt won't. And one day, he'll be at a party and maybe have a few drinks, and he'll meet some guy and start fooling around, and he's not going to know about using protection or STDs. I don't have the relationship with my dad that you have with Kurt. I think it would be really cool if you took advantage of that" Blaine finishes and looks at Burt, the reality of the situation really dawning on him. He was standing in front of his friend's father, practically begging him to discuss safe sex practices with him.

"I'm sorry if I'm over-stepping-"

"You are."

Burt's response is simple, but not unkind. Blaine sighs and nods a little, making to slowly move away. He really isn't too sure what else there is to say aside from apologise again.

"But, I appreciate you coming here and telling me all this" Burt says and Blaine turns around to look at him, eyes a little larger than before.

"You do?"

"Sure. Not many friends would have the guts to come and talk to someone else's parent about this sort of stuff. And whilst I think it is… rather inappropriate and a little strange… I appreciate that you care enough about Kurt to do that. You're a good friend to him, kid." Burt gives him a small smile and walks over to him, clapping him on the shoulder with a slightly oil stained hand. Blaine gives him a smile in return.

"I'm trying to be" he nods and gives Burt a small wave before he heads out of the shop, feeling a little bit better now that he's done it. At least now someone else knew about Kurt's adversity to sex, and whilst it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, at least now maybe some form of education would come his way. He gets into his car and makes the drive back up to Dalton with his music blaring loudly. He still has his plan to make things up to Kurt, and it involves some cooperation from his Warbler brothers.

* * *

"But why do we have to perform in _that_ way?" Michael asks as he sits on the end of Blaine's bed, patting the pillow he has in his lap.

"So Kurt doesn't feel uncomfortable" Jeff replies quickly with a smile, lounging on James's bed with Nick and Trent on either side of him. Blaine had called an emergency meeting of the Warblers and since their usual meeting place had been taken over by the chess club for the evening.

"I don't get why he feels uncomfortable in the first place. Sex is great" Michael says simply and promptly gets smacked in the face with a pillow by Wes.

"It isn't for everyone, and you don't know Kurt's story. Blaine was gracious enough to keep that to himself. All we need to know is that Kurt feels uncomfortable when we try to do sexy numbers, and we need to accept that. He's one of us and he needs to feel accepted in this space" Wes huffs and Michael holds up his hands in defence.

"Fine, I get it. Sorry"

Blaine gives him a small smile and looks around the room.

"I really appreciate you doing this, guys. I know it might seem weird but… since Kurt transferred schools, he hasn't really made too many friends outside of our group here, and I want him to know that he can come to us with anything. We might not be his friends from McKinley, but we're his friends all the same and that counts for something"

The Warblers all nod in agreement and get to their feet, ready to rehearse. They rehearse the number over and over for what seems like hours, and only stop when Blaine's roommate comes back and opens the door to find them all standing on the beds, gyrating their hips to the beat they've set.

"Hmm, okay. I've heard of orgy's, but I never thought I'd come to my own dorm room to find one happening"

James laughs as he gets a pillow thrown at him from Blaine.

* * *

Blaine grins widely as Kurt comes into the Senior Commons at their scheduled rehearsal time, his bag resting over his shoulder, arms filled with textbooks for his classes. Blaine had text him only an hour before to remind him of the rehearsal, and mainly to check that the Warblers' well executed plan wasn't a huge waste of time, and that getting in trouble with the Dean for having after hours meet ups in his dorm room had been worth it.

"Sorry I'm late" Kurt breathes as he looks up, smiling apologetically at his Warbler brothers. Blaine looks over towards Wes and nods and he grabs out his pitch whistle and blows it before the harmonizing begins and Kurt looks absolutely stunned. Blaine rises from his seat on the couch and moves over to Kurt, taking the books from his arm, setting them down on the nearest table.

"_She sits alone waiting for suggestions  
He's so nervous avoiding all the questions  
His lips are dry; her heart is gently pounding  
Don't you just know exactly what they're thinking_"

Blaine smirks as he sings and gently pulls Kurt's bag from his shoulder, having the pleasure of watching Kurt's cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink. The Warblers all harmonise and move behind him as Blaine takes Kurt's hand and starts to walk him towards one of the sofas.

"_If you want my body and you think I'm sexy  
Come on, sugar, tell me so  
If you really need me, just reach out and touch me  
Come on, honey, tell me so_"

As Blaine sings, he stands in front of Kurt and does an over the top body roll as he runs his hands down his blazer, contorting his face into a crazed expression. Behind him, Nick and Jeff start dry humping the air in a rhythm that matches the tempo of the song whilst the other Warblers all mimic Blaine, doing their best to be over the top, crazed, and fun. Kurt watches them all with large eyes and Blaine can see that a smile has started to form in his lips and it really does not take long before he is laughing.

The song continues and before long, all the boys are dancing around like idiots, Kurt included. He hangs on to Blaine and laughs loudly as he tries to sing along, his eyes shining brightly, and tears rush down his cheeks. By the end of the song, they are all out of breath and wheezing from laughter, giggling like schoolgirls.

"How any of us manage to get laid is beyond me" Michael pipes up and Blaine snorts softly, trying to gain some composure as Kurt quickly wipes the tears from under his eyes.

"That was amazing! But wh-what was it for?"

He directs his questions to Blaine, who adjusts his tie and shrugs just a little.

"To show you that some of us, well actually most of us, aren't taking this whole 'sexy' thing too seriously," Blaine uses air quotes and watches as Kurt proceeds to blush. "We have talent, Kurt. We don't need to rely on sex appeal to win over the judges. And even if we did, we'd do it as a team. We don't want anyone in this room to feel uncomfortable by anything we do here. Besides, if we _are _judged on sex appeal, these blazers give us automatic 'sex symbol' status" Blaine smirks and Kurt rolls his eyes, pushing hard at his shoulder.

"They do not. The blazers are awful, but you guys are all great" he breathes the looks around the room as the rest of the Warblers get their breathing back under control. "Thank you all for this. For-for noticing that one of your own wasn't comfortable with the week's assignment, and for showing me it really isn't as big of an issue as I thought. It-it's nice"

Jeff grins and claps Kurt on the shoulder.

"That's what we're here for" he hums and Thad chuckles.

"Exactly. Now, seeing as we're all nice and warmed up, why don't we start our Regionals talk?"

* * *

"So, it seems like sex is a big topic this week" Kurt hums as he sits on the end of Blaine's bed, rubbing his hands gently over his thighs as Blaine rummages through his bag to try and find the Greys Anatomy DVD he'd most definitely packed.

"Mm, I guess"

"Mercedes told me that they had a whole lesson on it this week, and that Miss Holiday was their sex-ed teacher"

"She's the cool Substitute, right?"

"Yeah. And then my Dad gave me pamphlets. Sex pamphlets"

At this, Blaine looks up at his friend and he sees the soft, pink blush on Kurt's cheeks, but he also notes the determination set just behind his eyes.

"H-he did?"

"Yeah. Gay sex pamphlets, to be exact. I brought them with me" Kurt breathes out and Blaine lets his bag fall to the ground at his feet.

"Uh, you did?"

"Yeah"

"Why?"

"Well, I figured that maybe you and I… we could-we could have that talk?" Kurt bites down on his lower lip as the tips of his ears flush pink and a small frown sets on Blaine's features.

"You want to talk to me? About sex?" He clarifies and Kurt lets out an embarrassed groan, his hands moving up to hide his face.

"I don't really know! I guess I-I… well my Dad told me to come and talk to him if I had any questions and I-I sort of do but I do _not_ want to ask my Dad, not at all. And you said that you knew… _stuff_. I thought I could just-just ask you" Kurt admits into his hands and Blaine finds it sort of endearing. He knew that he and Kurt were definitely close, and he is fairly certain that Kurt has told him things he's never told anybody else, and Blaine is grateful for the confidence Kurt has placed in him. Blaine moves over to the bed and sits down near the pillows, crossing his legs.

Greys Anatomy can wait.

"So, what do you want to know?" He asks and Kurt turns to face him, so they mirror each other.

"Well, did your Dad ever talk to you about… this?" Kurt asks and Blaine smiles softly, shaking his head.

"No. He gave me a brief talk when I was about 6, and when I was 13 and asked how gay people had sex, he told me that it wasn't something I ever needed to concern myself with, that it wasn't a natural thing to do and that I shouldn't waste my time with such stupid questions" Blaine tells Kurt, the memory sitting right in the forefront of his brain. Kurt looks at him with raised brows.

"But-but your Dad knows that you're gay…"

"He knows now. I never told my parent's until I had to. And even though he hasn't been outwardly against it to my face, I know that he struggles. But this topic isn't something I can talk about with him, so I went looking for myself. I found the internet and it was pretty great. Confronting, but great." He grins when he sees Kurt nod in agreement.

"Confronting is definitely the right word. I mean-I've known I was gay for a really long time… but when I actually went and looked at… at _sex_ stuff, it really freaked me out. It was so hard core and-and just…"

"Unromantic?" Blaine offers and Kurt nods.

"Exactly. I-I like romance. I mean, I _want _a boyfriend and I want to have a relationship with someone, but I don't want to-to do what I saw in those videos."

"You don't have to, Kurt" Blaine tells him and watches as his friend frowns.

"What do you mean?" he asks, and Blaine takes a pillow and sits it on his lap, brushing his fingers gently over the fabric.

"Well, do you know what sex is?" he asks, and Kurt rolls his eyes in response.

"Obviously. I'm not dumb"

"What is it then?"

"Well… it's uh… it's when… when… um" Kurt bites down on his lower lip and flushes a brighter shade of pink.

"Kurt?"

"Penetration, right?"

The words come out in a higher tone that Blaine was expecting, but he smiles all the same.

"That's one form, sure. I mean, this is a pretty loaded topic, and the very idea of virginity is a social construct in itself. And if we go off what society believes, then gay men can't actually lose their virginity because we don't have a hymen to break" Blaine hums and Kurt's eyebrows shoot impossibly higher on his head.

"Oh… uh, I guess I never thought of that."

"It's okay, not many people do. It just means that sex can be whatever we want it to be. If you personally feel like the term 'having sex' refers to penetration that's okay. But obviously there are other ways. Touching, oral… you know" Blaine shrugs and Kurt just nods along.

"So, what if I never want to… um… have the-uh- the penetrative kind of sex?"

"Then you don't have to. Some gay guys don't like it, and that's normal. It should be about what feels good and comfortable for you."

"So, if you get to decide what sex means for you, what would you class as losing your virginity?" Kurt asks in a little squeak of a voice and Blaine sits back against the pillows.

"Personally, I want to one day have penetrative sex. So, for me, I think I would class losing my virginity as the first time I have penetrative sex." Blaine says simply. He's thought about it a lot over the years, and he's fairly confident with that response. Kurt just nods and stares down at his hands for a moment before he speaks again.

"So, you haven't had sex?" Kurt asks and Blaine shakes his head with a small smile on his lips.

"Uh-no. No, I haven't. I-I know I come across as confident on this topic, but its only because I've done my reading. I've made out with two guys in my life. Simon and another guy called Lewis. He transferred though. Simon and I were a little touchy I guess… he let he get him off once, but it was over the pants and that was all we did." Blaine tells Kurt and Kurt nods quickly.

"Right."

They sit in silence for a few moments, both staring down at their hands for a few moments before Blaine lets out a small sigh.

"There isn't anything wrong with you, Kurt. If you never want to do this stuff, you know that? You're totally normal" Blaine tells him, and Kurt reaches out and takes his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"You're a good friend, Blaine. I-I think maybe I just want to watch some McDreamy and McSteamy now, though" Kurt smiles and Blaine pats the space beside him.

"That sound perfect to me"


	12. Chapter 12 - Original Song

_**IT'S FINALLY HERE!**_

_**My gosh. I am so sorry that this took so long! Honestly, it has been a crazy time for me lately, but never fear! I have not abandoned this fic.**_

_**It just takes some time to write canon compliant fics, but I am fully committed. I loved writing this chapter and hope you guys love reading it :)**_

_**Please let me know what you think!**_

_**Also, I now have twitter so if you want updates or chats or a follow, check out novoklaine :) Same goes for insta xxx**_

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Original Song**

The leadup to Regionals was much more intense and much more exciting than Blaine thought it would be. Every weeknight (aside from Fridays) they had rehearsal late into the night and they had agreed upon impromptu performances being held at random throughout the school day, just to make sure they were always in performance mode. Blaine had been ensuring his voice was well used, drinking nothing but lemon-tea with honey and making sure to practice one hour in the morning and one hour at night of scales each day, just to make sure he was in tip-top shape. He had been hitting the Dalton gym every morning as well, and Fight club was suspended for now, just so he had more time to focus on Regionals. The Warbler council had once again named him lead vocalist, and it seemed like they didn't intend on showcasing anyone else this time around. Everyone had voted on it and whilst Blaine was a little weary at first, he took it in his stride. He was a strong vocalist and he knew that he could carry the team to a victory if given the chance. The council seemed happy to allow him to recommend songs for their impromptu performances, which is how Blaine finds himself belting out the lyrics to Maroon 5's 'Misery' in the halls of Dalton, the Warblers singing and dancing around him. In his opinion, they have never sounded better. He dances and slides and spins around the halls and by the time he's finished, he is a little out of breath and full of high spirits.

"Hey Regionals…you just met our opening number!" he calls out and grins widely at the many hands that clap his shoulders, the words of praise and the words of agreeance. As the Warblers disperse and Blaine locates his bag again, he spots Kurt standing off to the side with Pavarotti and a new and rather fashionable addition to his cage. Blaine has to resist the urge to just grin because the cover is so very _Kurt_ that it isn't funny.

"How did you manage to find a Burberry-esque canary cage cover?"

"Canaries don't like cold weather, especially Pavarotti." Kurt hums as he lifts off the cover and picks up the cage as Blaine just grins at him and the little bird, hopping around in his cage.

"So, what'd you think of the song?"

"Can I be really honest with you? Because it comes from a place of caring?"

Blaine nods and shrugs his shoulders, always eager for any sage advice that Kurt might have to offer.

"Been there done that. Look, you're amazing Blaine. Your solos are breath-taking, they're also numerous."

Blaine blinks a little at that and he almost smirks, because if he didn't know any better, Kurt sounded _jealous_.

"Kurt, the council decides who gets the solos. Do I detect a little jealousy?"

"No, you detect a lot of jealousy. Look, Blaine sometimes I don't feel like we're the Warblers. I feel like we're Blaine and the Pips."

Blaine blinks and stares after Kurt as he heads off down the hall, and he feels something stir low in his stomach. Unease? Probably. He knows that Kurt has never really been all that thrilled with the Warblers having a council, and he often feels a little deflated when his song ideas don't get voted for, but Blaine never thought Kurt _resented_ him for it. He watches as Kurt turns the corner with Pavarotti and he sighs to himself. He understands Kurt's frustrations, but they're a week out from Regionals and he really doesn't have the time to be trying to change things up now. It's far too late for any of that. Maybe for Nationals they can have a conversation about inclusion, but for now Blaine thinks it's probably not a good idea to rock the boat.

He follows Kurt and he catches him talking to Trent in the Courtyard, both boys smiling and laughing with each other.

"… I know! It was totally laughable." Trent grins and looks up at the sight of Blaine. "Hey Blaine. Great performance again, as usual" he hums and Blaine smiles at him, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Thanks, man. You -uh- you weren't talking about me just then, right?" he raises an eyebrow and Trent laughs and shakes his head as one of Kurt's eyebrows shoots up.

"No! No. We were talking about Jeff and his crazy attempts at flirting with Miss Harris" Trent chuckles lightly.

"Strangely, not every conversation we have revolves around you, Blaine" Kurt hums lightly and Trent takes it as a joke, but Blaine can practically _feel_ the underlying ice in Kurt's tone, and it hurts him.

"Trent, do you mind?" Blaine looks at him and the boy needs no further hints. He bids them goodbye and hurries off, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone in the Courtyard.

"That was rude"

"No, Kurt. Your comment was rude. What's gotten into you? Are you actually upset with me?" Blaine asks and pulls his hands out of his pockets, folding his arms across his chest as Kurt rolls his eyes and moves to set Pavarotti's cage down on one of the garden tables.

"Yes, Blaine. I am"

"Because of Regionals?"

"Not just Regionals." Kurt sighs and matches Blaine's stance. "It's every rehearsal or performance. Your solos are numerous and frankly… it kind of hurts that no one else's voices every get to shine. Or their songs choices."

"Kurt… the council-"

"Yes, I know. The council makes the choices, but I've said it before and I'll say it again – you have influence over them, Blaine. You just don't use it. I think you like the attention and you don't want to share the spotlight. As a diva myself, I can appreciate the notion – but you said that the Warblers are a team, right? It kind of feels like we might just be your back up boys" Kurt sighs and Blaine just stares at him.

_Okay, so Kurt really is angry. Shit._

"You aren't my back up boys…"

"Well prove it then. Hmm?" Kurt shakes his head and picks up the cage again. "I'm not trying to be a bitch here, I just want you to know how I feel. Because we're always honest with each other" Kurt looks at him and gives him a small smile. "Right?"

"Right"

Blaine lets out a huff of air and silence falls around them for a few moments before Kurt speaks up again.

"Look, I'm gonna head home. Just… think on it? For me?"

His eyebrow remains raised and Blaine just nods, raising a hand to give him a small wave. He watches as Kurt retreats and he's about to turn and head back to his own dorm when Trent pops up next to him and Blaine actually yelps.

"Oh! Sorry!" Trent chuckles lightly and pats Blaine on the back. "I didn't mean to freak you out. I just… are you and Kurt okay?"

Blaine looks over at this friend, the first friend he'd actually ever made at Dalton (he counted Wes as more of a mentor for the first month) and takes in the worry of his brow and the concern shining in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah? Why wouldn't we be?" Blaine asks and folds his arms across his chest and Trent looks over to the spot where Kurt had been standing.

"Because Kurt was giving you his classic bitch stare, and you look deflated."

"Well- I'm fine. Kurt is fine. It's just a bit of friendly competition" Blaine shrugs his shoulders and Trent just looks at him.

"Really, Blaine?" he raises an eyebrow and Blaine sighs.

"If you have something to say, Trent, just say it"

The boy nods and straightens his tie before he speaks again.

"Kurt kind of has a point. I know that we're a team and I love that we are, but you have a lot of influence over the group and I don't think you're using it for good" Trent tells him and Blaine's eyebrows furrow. Why was this a running theme today?

"For good?"

"Yes. You could let people's voices be heard a little more, Blaine"

"But I'm not on the council."

"No, you're in their pockets though" Trent shrugs this time and reaches out to clap Blaine on the shoulder. "Just think about it, yeah? And try and see it from Kurt's point of view a little more. I know you love being the superstar Blaine, and you really do deserve to be, but so do your friends every now and then"

With that, Trent leaves and Blaine finds himself standing along in the Courtyard, feeling slammed down for the second time in the last ten minutes. He does understand where both boys are coming from, and he knows that he can absolutely be a diva when it counted, but he didn't want that jeopardising his friendships with anyone. He gets out his phone and decides to send Kurt a text.

_**From Blaine:**_

**You're right. I'll try harder**

He heads back to his dorm to try and get some study done, thankful that James is once again out for the evening. He doesn't get a response from Kurt until he's tucked up in bed and about to turn out his lamp for the night.

_**From Kurt:**_

**I'm always right. Thank you x**

* * *

Blaine wakes up the next morning with a brilliant idea right at the forefront of his mind. He had had a dream – a rather vivid one at that- of the Warblers at Regionals, and their uniform had been a little different. He rises from the bed and is quick to get ready, racing to the Senior Commons just in time for their morning meeting. It's a Saturday, and despite the fact that it's the weekend, all of the Warbler's have come in their uniforms. It was just tradition. Wes spots the stupidly large grin on his face the minute he enters, and Blaine makes his way over to him, leaning on the mahogany desk.

"Blaine"

"Wesley"

"You have a look on your face. Care to share?"

"I have an idea. For regionals. I think you'll like it" Blaine smirks and picks up the gavel and bangs it, choosing to ignore the look of horror that forms on his friends face as he touches his prized gavel.

The Warblers all look up and Blaine turns around to face them.

"My fellow brothers, I have an idea that I want to share with the group." He begins and starts to walk towards the couch, looking around at his friends as they all smile up at him.

"So, I've been thinking about the uniforms for Regionals, and I know that we don't like to divert from tradition, but I think that now would be the time to really branch out" Blaine smiles and notices some of the Warblers sharing looks with each other, so he quickly continues. "I was thinking that we could-" Blaine is cut off by Thad, who stands up from his seat behind the Council desk.

"You want to change things up? This close to competition?" He queries with a raised brow and Blaine sighs.

"Not so much change-"

"We are a week out from Regionals and you want to change things? Why, is how we do things suddenly not good enough?" Andrew pipes up and Blaine's head snaps over to him.

"I never said that!" Blaine cries and sighs as the Warblers begin to yell over the top of each other.

"It's inferred! You want us to what, wear our own clothes?"

"That's insane!"

"I will wear the blazer or nothing, Blaine!"

"Next you'll want us in leotards riding unicycles!"

"The blazer is classic! Classic I tell you!"

"Warblers! Warblers! I am merely suggesting that instead of wearing blue ties with red piping, we wear jackets with red ties and blue piping for the competition!" Blaine tries to get control of the room back, but it really doesn't seem to work.

"This is a kangaroo court!" Trent cries and Blaine is about to snap back at him because -out of all those in the room- he thought at least Trent would have his back, when the doors open and Kurt walks in. His head in hung and his blazer is missing, but it its place in an all-black outfit that Blaine would expect Kurt to wear to a funeral, or maybe a high-fashion robbery. It is evident to anyone who looks at him that he's been crying, and it breaks Blaine's heart to see it.

"Kurt, what's wrong?" Blaine asks, his own heart starting to hammer away in his chest.

_Is Burt okay? Carole? Finn?_

"It's Pavarotti. Pavarotti's dead. I suspect a stroke." Kurt sniffles and Blaine really isn't sure what to say. He knows how much Kurt loves that bird. They sing together all the time, and Kurt spends so much time and energy on the little canary, making sure he's always safe and warm and loved.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry" Blaine breathes out, wanting to move towards Kurt, to take him into his arms and hold him close.

"I know it's really stupid to be upset about a bird but…H-he inspired me with his optimism…and his love of song. He was my friend. Now, I know that today we need to practice doo-wopping behind Blaine while he sings every solo in the medley of Pink songs but I'd like to sing to Pavarotti today."

In true Kurt fashion – Blaine notices- he has a cassette tape. Blackbird by the Beatles begins to play and in all the darkness, Blaine could almost smile. The song is so very _Kurt_. He still feels a slight sting at the implications of Kurt's words, but he knows that now is not the time to dwell on them.

Blaine watches with a heavy heart as the boy begins his tribute to the canary, and he can't help but feel guilty. He'd been the one to give Pavarotti over to Kurt, and he didn't spend as much time with the little bird as he should of. He starts to hum along to the song and come in behind Kurt, the rest of the Warblers following his lead. Kurt's voice blends perfectly and Blaine really appreciates the emotion that Kurt is putting into the song. Kurt always was fully invested in everything he did, everyone he was friends with, and Blaine had always admired that about Kurt. He never did anything half-heartedly, and Blaine just knows that Pav really was loved by the whole of Kurt's heart. Blaine's eyes seem to lose their focus as he lets himself give in to the song and Kurt's voice, small goose bumps forming on his skin. His eyes follow Kurt as he moves around the room with such grace and poise and –

_Oh._

_There you are._

Blaine blinks and he turns a little, his eyes searching until they fall on Kurt again and for the first time, he really _sees _him. He sees his best friend, standing there with tears in his eyes, singing his heart out for his lost pet. But he also seems a boy, so open and raw and beautiful, a lone soul just floating through the world with nothing in sight to grab onto.

_So, give him something to grab onto._

The second he thinks it, Blaine knows it's right. He needs Kurt, more than he ever has before. His stomach flutters and his heart starts to beat faster and he can't even sing along anymore because he is transfixed by the boy in front of him to the point that all he can do is watch him with awe.

_Oh. There you are. I've been looking for you forever. And you were right here, all along._

Blaine just watches Kurt, his eyes large and brimming with emotions he isn't really sure he's ever felt before. It's almost as if he has tunnel vision. Everything else in the room is unimportant, his entire focus on the boy in black. Kurt's song comes to a close and all Blaine wants to do is get up and close the awful space between them, take Kurt into his arms and keep him there- keep him safe.

"Thank you."

Kurt sniffles and the Warblers slowly get to their feet, making their way over to Kurt to embrace him, but Blaine stays where he is. He stays seated until the Warblers slowly trickle back to their places, clearly far too emotional to continue on with the meeting. Wes gently taps the gavel to end the meeting and Blaine then makes his way towards Kurt, a new sort of thrumming in his heart. He stands in front of him and Kurt looks up at him, his blue eyes still swimming with tears.

_God, he's so beautiful._

"I'm so sorry" Kurt breathes out and a frown sets on Blaine's face.

"God, Kurt. What are you sorry for?" Blaine reaches out to lace their fingers together and Kurt just looks at their hands for a long moment before his eyes meet Blaine's.

"Because- you gave him to me. You trusted me to-to look after him" Kurt sniffles and Blaine moves to envelope Kurt into a tight hug. He can feel the young man's tears as he cries into the crook of his neck, and Blaine doesn't say a word. He just holds him and lets him cry. Blaine wants to cry too. He wants to cry because he doesn't want to see Kurt hurting like this, not ever.

"It's okay. These things happen"

Blaine knows it's a lame line, and probably not one that Kurt wants to hear right now, but he can't really think of much else aside from how right it feels to hold Kurt in his arms like this.

_His pet has just died, Anderson. Have some god damn tact!_

Blane pulls back and gently fixes Kurt's collar for him before he reaches out and plucks a tissue from the table and hands it to Kurt. Kurt mouths a thank you and dabs his tears, and Blaine has to fight against every fibre in his body not to reach out and wipe the tears away with his thumb. He feels a pull to Kurt, one he hasn't ever experienced before, and he needs to take a minute to just calm down.

"I-I think I'm going to go" Kurt tells him as he finishes wiping his eyes, giving Blaine small smile before he reaches up and squeezes his shoulder. "I think I'm going to skip coffee today, if that's okay? I kind of just want to go home and mourn with Carole for tonight. I-I'll see you on Monday?" he asks and Blaine nods solemnly. He doesn't really want Kurt to go, but there isn't much he can do. He gives Kurt a final hug and watches him leave. He doesn't realise that he's been staring at the spot where Kurt left from until Wes comes into his line of sight, a frown on his face.

"Blaine? You okay?" he asks and Blaine sighs, blinking a little.

"Uh, yeah. Just… processing" Blaine hums and moves to sit down on the couch. Wes sits opposite him and rests his hands on his knees.

"I hope you don't feel guilty. I now Kurt does, but these things happen" he tells Blaine and the younger boy nods, moving a hand to tug and loosen his tie.

"I know. I don't-I don't think I feel guilty. I loved that little bird, and I know Kurt did too. I just… I guess I don't want Kurt to have to go through this alone. I wish I could help" he sighs and looked up at Wes.

"I think you might be one of the only people who can"

They sit in silence for a few long moments before Blaine leans forward and nibbles on his lip for a moment, debating with himself about where or not he should ask.

But he doesn't really have much to lose.

"Wes, do you think it would be… inappropriate of me to ask Kurt for coffee?"

He watches a Wes's expression turns to confusion, the boy leaning forward as well.

"No? You always go for coffee with Kurt. If anything, it would probably help him to have some normalcy" Wes tells him and cocks his head to the side. "Why? Do _you _think it would be inappropriate?" he muses, and Blaine sat back then, running his hands through his curls.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I just-I don't mean for our standard coffee runs. For like… a date"

Blaine watches as a grin breaks out onto his friend's face, and it makes him feel both relieved and slightly uncomfortable.

"Really?" Wes asks and at Blaine's nod, he flies out of his seat and spins towards the door.

"DAVID!" he cries, and Blaine gets to his feet quickly.

"What are you doing?" he hisses, tugging as Wes's hand as David comes sprinting down the hall.

"What?" he calls, and Wes tugs his hand free of Blaine's grip and proceeds to point at Blaine, jabbing the air furiously.

"It's happened!"

"Really?" David meets his pitch as he hurries into the room, looking between the crazed Wes and extremely confused Blaine. At Wes's nod, David fist pumps the air and hurries over to Blaine, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.

"I'm so proud! It took you long enough, man! So, what's the plan?"

David sets Blaine back down and moves to sit down with Wes, the pair eyeing him like a pair of excited fools. Blaine just stares at them for a long moment, trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

"I'm sorry. You lost me" he breathes out and receives an eyeroll from Wes.

"Asking Kurt out on a date! What's the plan?"

David looks expectantly up at him, but Blaine just stares right back. Why were they asking this? More importantly, how did they _know_ to ask this?

"Um… how did you know I was wanting to ask Kurt out?" he asks softly, and Wes and David share a glance before they both lean back on the couch, chuckling softly.

"Come on Blaine, you're like- the most oblivious guy in the world. You came to us for that Valentine's day madness and we thought you were going to ask him out then." David tells him and Blaine takes a moment, sitting back on the couch too.

"You did?"

"Yes. You spend so much time together and you get along like a house on fire. Kurt is… well it's obvious to anyone who has eyes that Kurt really likes you. We just figured you felt the same" Wes sighs softly and Blaine runs his hands over his face.

_Fuck. Good job Anderson._

"I-I knew Kurt cared about me. He told me after that… the Gap. I just didn't want to mess anything up because I felt kind of confused. But seeing him sing today-it was like… like I was finally seeing him, you know?" Blaine looks between his two friends and sighs. "I've always liked Kurt. He's a-a fantastic person and I guess now…now I can sort of see other things?"

"Things?" Wes muses and Blaine proceeds to blush a little.

"Well, yeah. Like… I never noticed before how gorgeous his eyes are. And how-how soft his lips look…"

"Okay tiger," David chuckles and holds up a hand to silence Blaine. "Before we get too deep into this, are you sure you want to ask Kurt out? I mean, we are all for it. We've been waiting for you to wise up for a while now, but we don't want you to get hurt. Either of you. And the team too."

"Why would the team get hurt?" Wes asks and David turns to look at him.

"What if they break up and never speak again? This impacts the team too" He points out and Blaine shakes his head, getting to his feet.

"Stop. We aren't even dating. Just… I wanted to know if you think I should wait a while to ask him, considering the whole Pav of it all" Blaine looks between his friends and it is Wes who speaks up.

"Blaine, just do what feels right"

* * *

Doing what feels right is much easier said than done, Blaine decides as he walks to and from all of his classes with Kurt the following Monday. Kurt is a little more chipper, but still clearly upset about Pavarotti and Blaine really wants to just hug him. He notices now how lovely Kurt's smile is, how it doesn't really show his upper row of teeth but how wide his lips stretch, soft and plump and perfectly kissable. He notices how Kurt's nose twitches when he's concentrating really hard, and how his eyebrows furrow in the cutest of ways. Blaine finds it hard not to reach for Kurt's hand as they walk together, shoulders pressed side by side. Blaine also notices how lovely Kurt smells, and he thinks he might be addicted. He had spent the rest of the weekend in his dorm room, mulling over exactly how he could ask Kurt out, whether he _should_ ask him out. Everything is still up in the for him as they sit in the senior commons, listening to the council try and decide on their final song selection for Sectionals that coming weekend. So far, they have narrowed it down to 6, and they need to get it down to two.

"Well, I personally am more of a Pink fan than a Maroon 5 fan, and I think that Misery might be overdone" David states and Blaine keeps his mouth shut. They've been sitting here for an hour now and whilst for the first 50 minutes he was distracted enough by Kurt's glorious profile, it was kind of getting a little old. He could see most of the Warbler's looking a little bored, Kurt included.

"Well we still want to be more modern that the other teams, right? Get that edge? So, I say we stick to Pink. The only question is which Pink song do we do?"

"Well, we could always try and do a medley, like originally planned" Thad hums and Blaine just takes a moment to watch Kurt. Kurt could sing a Pink song. Kurt could sing a Pink song _wonderfully_, or maybe they could sing together. Singing together would mean that they could spend more time together, and maybe then he could work up the courage to ask Kurt out. Was he being deceitful? Not really. Kurt would get a chance to prove himself to the Warblers, get a much-deserved chance to shine on stage, and Blaine would get to spend hours upon hours rehearsing with him. Just the two of them. It was really a win-win for everyone involved, really.

"-I really think that Raise Your Glass is a solid winner" Wes smiles and David sighs a little, shaking his head.

"If we're going for that, we may as well do the whole medley. It's really a start song, in my opinion"

"You know I think Blaine's version of the song is actually better than the original." Thad tells the council and David frowns just a little.

"But, it's not in his natural key so–"

"How dare you!"

It's Thad's offended cry that tips Blaine over the edge. He can see the rest of his Warbler brothers are also almost to their tipping point, and he needs to speak up. Now.

"Enough. I'm tired of this." Blaine raises a hand and looks at the council, who don't seem as annoyed as being interrupted as he originally thought.

"I agree. I think we should just let you pick the song that you wanna sing." Thad offers, and Blaine can practically _feel_ Kurt's eyes roll at the very sentence. Under any other circumstances, Blaine might have actually been thrilled to have the opportunity to select his own songs to sing, but this is not one of those times.

"No, I'm tired of the Warblers being all about me," he breathes and looks over at David. "David, please make sure everything that I'm about to say goes down in the official minutes."

David gives a small nod and Blaine takes a moment.

_Here we go._

"We are going to lose at Regionals-"

The second those words are out of his mouth, everyone starts to cry out, clearly appalled by his words. Blaine gets to his feet and raises his hand, trying to calm his brothers down in the process.

"I am-I am incredibly grateful for the belief you've all given me as a junior member to lead you all in these wonderful songs this year but, from what Kurt has told me about New Directions. I-I just know I can't beat them on my own." He looks down at Kurt and gives him a simple smile before he looks back up over to the Council. "Which is why I propose that we rearrange our eleven 'o clock number and turn it into a duet."

The Warblers begin to look around and Blaine can hear the bubble of disapproval begin to ride int eh room.

"To showcase other talent in this group-" he begins and is cut off by David.

"Why don't we just play it on kazoo."

Blaine gets to his feet at this point and looks around the room as he tries to make his point.

"Point of order! Point of order! Now, we all lost one of our own this week. Pavarotti's voice was silenced by death and I-I don't wanna silence anyone else's voices in this group. I think Pavarotti would roll over in his tiny…tiny little grave."

"The placement of which has yet to be determined." Kurt speaks up softly and Blaine glances at him with a small smile.

"All right, a vote." Wes takes action and Blaine looks over to him, hoping that he won't just shut the idea down immediately if the votes don't go his way. "Who's in favour of Warbler Blaine's proposal? For a duo lead at Regionals?"

Wes looks out amongst the group and majority of the Warblers have their hands risen. Blaine feels a small sense of pride over the fact that his brothers are choosing to side with him, and he smiles.

"Can I get my name on that audition list?"

Kurt's voice registers and Blaine lowers his hand, quick to interrupt before the council can say anything on the matter.

"Uh-No." Blaine breathes out and he just knows that this is it.

_This is it, Anderson. No going back._

"No auditions. I wanna sing the duet…with Kurt."

He smiles softly and looks down at Kurt. The boy's eyes are wide and stunned and he looks like he really isn't sure what's happening. Blaine isn't sure either, but he knows that this is the right thing to do. This is what he _needs_ to do.

Th-that's ridiculous. I mean there's so many great voices. I mean everyone deserves a shot at that honour." Kurt breathes out and tries to reason with Blaine, and Blaine just smiles.

"All in favour of Kurt being my duet partner at Regionals?" He raises his own hand and looks around the common room.

Every single hand in the room goes up.

"Decided." Wes bangs his gavel down and Blaine feels like in that moment, it's sealing his fate.

"Congratulations Kurt." Thad hums and a few of the Warblers move around to start congratulating Kurt and Blaine sits back down, clapping along with the rest. He gives Kurt a small wink and is aware that he is practically beaming at this point, but he can't find it within himself to care as Wes bangs his gavel again to bring the attention back to the council.

"We'll still need to decide on a song-"

"Oh! If it's fine with the group, I think Kurt and I can definitely have that covered" Blaine looks over to Wes and gives him a small look, almost pleading. The boy seems to notice and turns to David to mutter something, then to Thad, before he bangs his gavel down again.

"Decided".

Blaine looks at Kurt and he can see that the boy is absolutely over the moon. His cheeks are rosy, and he is smiling so wide that Blaine can see all his shiny, white teeth, and he loves it. He loves that he can make Kurt look like this. He looks radiant and a little embarrassed and Blaine has never wanted to kiss him more.

That is still a strange thought, the fact that he wants to kiss Kurt Hummel, but he's welcoming it more and more.

The meeting draws to a close and Blaine finds himself following Kurt out of the common room and up into the main hallways of Dalton.

"So, we should really get thinking of a song then, huh" Blaine smiles and watches as Kurt clutches his satchel strap a little tighter, blush still present on his cheeks.

"Yeah. Um- I guess so. I'm still a little shocked, if I'm honest. I'd love to brainstorm with you, but I actually have to go and cram for a chem test" He sighs softly and looks up at Blaine with a smile. "Come find me later?" he asks and Blaine nods eagerly.

"Of course"

He watches Kurt leave and pulls himself together. He has some serious song researching to do.

* * *

It only takes Blaine a day to really find a song, and it comes to him almost instantly. He's sitting in the middle of study hall with his iPod on shuffle and the song begins to play and he just _feels_ that it's right. The lyrics just seem to make sense to him – _'beginning to see the light' _– he was beginning to see the light, with Kurt. He practically scrambles up from his seat when the bell rings and makes his way through the school, eyes peeled for Kurt. The boy hasn't yet responded to his text messages, and Blaine finds himself needed to tell Kurt right away about his song choice. He hurries around the school, head poking into the different common rooms until he spots Kurt in one of the study rooms. He see's hum hunched over something small, little glue gun in hands. He walks into the room and tries to keep things casual.

"What's that?" He hums and Kurt looks up at him and gives him a small smile.

"I'm decorating Pavarotti's casket." Kurt sighs gently and puts down the gun after he finishes gluing down another rhinestone.

"Well, finish up. I have the perfect song for our number, and we should practice."

The second the words came out of Blaine's mouth, he felt like an idiot.

_He just told you he's decorating his deceased pet's casket, and you tell him to finish up?_

_Never mind! Push through!_

"Do tell"

"Candles" by Hey Monday." Blaine smiles softly as he leans gently against the table and Kurt looks up at him, blinking a little in what looks to be surprise.

"I'm impressed. You're usually so Top 40." Kurt teases him lightly and Blaine just smiles back at him. Kurt is impressed, which means he's off to a good start.

"Well, I just…wanted something a little more emotional." He admits gently and takes a seat, smiling softly at Kurt as he works up the courage to figure out what to say next. He really should have practiced this in the mirror before he came.

"Why did you pick me to sing that song with?"

The question is out there, and Blaine is sort of thankful. Now it's not up to him to start the conversation. He looks to Kurt and takes a small breath because this is it. Kurt is looking at him with large, curious, and slightly nervous eyes and Blaine knows he has to tell him.

_It's now or never, Anderson._

"Kurt, there is a moment when you say to yourself, "Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever." Watching you do blackbird this week…that was a moment for me. About you. I-you moved me, Kurt. And this duet would just be an excuse to spend more time with you."

Blaine lets his eyes travel down to Kurt's lips before he leans forward, giving Kurt enough time to back out if he wants to. When Kurt doesn't move, Blaine presses their lips together in a soft, slow kiss, his hand coming up to rest softly against Kurt's cheek. He can feel the other boy's intake of breath the second their lips touch, and Blaine feels it. He feels the sizzling heat as their lips touch, the spark of energy that races through him, from his fingertips down to his toes. He almost goes to pull back, but Kurt's hand has found his cheek and he's holding him in place, kissing him back.  
Blaine is shocked for a moment, but he goes with it. Kurt is kissing him, and it feels…wonderful. It feels wonderful and almost like they were made to do nothing else but this, for all eternity. His toes curl and his stomach is doing little flips. He has the urge to press back, to wind his arms around Kurt's small frame and hold him there. His lips taste like cherry lip balm and mocha and Blaine thinks that flavour combination is intoxicating. They break apart and Kurt's hand slumps back against the table. He looks absolutely stunned and a little breathless and Blaine is fairly certain he's never seen someone look so beautiful before. He slowly sits back down, his heart hammering away in his chest. He feels elated and his lips are still tingling.

He's done it.

He's kissed Kurt Hummel.

"We should-we should practice." He breathes out, his hand resting on his cheek. He still can't really believe that happened. Kurt is looking at him, breathless and smiling and then he says it.

"I thought we were."

Blaine isn't really too sure what comes over him, but the next thing he knows he has his fingers reaching up, curling around the back of Kurt's flushed neck to keep him close and their lips are moving together in an almost drunken fashion, but Blaine doesn't care.

He doesn't care because it feels great. Kurt's fingers moving along his jaw and up into his hair feels great. Kurt's lips feel great against his own and every second that Kurt is eagerly pressing against him makes him feel somewhat bigger, bolder, stronger.

He feels phenomenal.

Their lips seem to fit so fell together, fingers gripping one another so tightly, and Blaine doesn't want to let go. He feels Kurt's tongue gingerly slide over his lower lip and his stomach almost flips because _holy fucking shit_ it feels amazing. It doesn't seem to take long before he can actually taste Kurt, and he's sweet and perfect and he really wishes they didn't need to breathe.

He pulls back after what feels like hours, lips glistening and plump, grinning like a total idiot.

Kurt is looking at him like he might have just hung the moon. His eyes are large and wide and are swimming with something that Blaine has never seen in their waters before, but he's fairly certain it's a form of desire never shared between them before.

"Wow" Kurt breathes, and Blaine just grins at him.

"Most definitely wow"

They sit there for a moment, just basking in the silence. Their fingers and locked together, resting on the table as they catch their breaths.

"So, did you actually want to sing Candles?" Kurt asks after a moment and Blaine blinks at him.

"Hm?"

"Candles. By Hey Monday? Did you actually want to sing that song for Regionals?"

"Oh! Yeah" Blaine smiles and looks down at their intertwined fingers. He loves how light Kurt's skin in compared to his, so milky and soft. He always did have soft hands. "I think it's a lovely song for us"

"A breakup song?"

At that, Blaine looks up.

"What?"

"It's a breakup song."

"No, it isn't"

"Uh- yes it is?"

Kurt looks at him with a raised brow, his thumb absently stroking over Blaine's knuckle, which is making it very hard for Blaine to focus on anything else right not.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Blaine asks and Kurt chuckled softly, shuffling the chair so they are sitting closer together. Their knees bump together, and Blaine is fairly certain he's never felt something so erotic in his life as Kurt's knee brushing against his.

"Well, it's a breakup song. It's about someone finally seeing the light, not that they're out of a relationship. Like they've been blinded by love and couldn't see the reality of their situation until they got out of it" Kurt speaks softly, and his cheeks are still a wonderful pink. Blaine stares at him for a long moment before he pulls his hand back from Kurt's and rubs it over his face.

"I can't believe this… I thought a _breakup_ song was appropriate for our duet" He groans and leans further onto the table, burying his head into his arm. He can hear Kurt stifling a giggle and he peeks up at him, the boy grinning at him.

"What?"

"You're adorable"

Blaine feels his cheeks flush pink too and he smiles up at Kurt.

"Even though I'm a total fool?" he muses, and Kurt gives him a small nod, sitting back in his chair.

"Even then."

They just smile at each other for a few moments before Blaine sits up again and straightens up his blazer and tie.

"I want to sing that sing anyway. Because when I heard it, I thought of you. I-I can't stop thinking about you, actually. And I want the song that we sing together in front of the live audience for the first time to be one that resonates" Blaine breathes out and watches as Kurt leans forward, resting his hand gently on Blaine's wrist.

"Blaine, you've already won me over," he chuckles lightly, and Blaine takes in how his eyes are sparkling right now. "You don't need to try and convince me. I'd sing Cotton Eye Joe with you at this point" he grins and Blaine leans forward, reaching up to gently brush his thumb across Kurt's high cheekbone. It causes the boy to shiver and his lower lip to be drawn back into his mouth, between his teeth, and Blaine can't help but smile.

"Kurt, I-I want us to be boyfriends. Is that okay?"

Kurt's head bobs up and down in a nod before his hand moves up to Blaine's tie and he pulls him close, peach lips ghosting across his for a small moment and _holy shit_ is it a turn on.

"Yes"

Kurt breathes out the word before they're kissing again, and Blaine is fairly certain that nothing can beat this feeling.

Not a damn thing.

* * *

For the next few days, Blaine is sure he's in heaven. He gets up and goes to breakfast with his friends and he meets Kurt after and they head to class together, hand in hand. The Warblers find out about them pretty quickly and they're both subject to playful hugs and 'we told you so' banter and Blaine feels on top of the world. He gets to practice his duet with Kurt, eat his lunch with Kurt, daydream about Kurt in all of his classes, and when they get their usual coffee from the Lima Bean together after class, they stand as close to each other as they can and when they sit, they shuffle their chairs so their knees brush together.

They sing songs together in the car and every time they depart for the night, they share soft, sweet kisses until their noses are cold from the outside air and their cheeks are both shining a brilliant pink. Then, they head to their dorms and continue to text each other until they fall asleep.

Blaine is sure he's in heaven.

They agree to keep their relationship on the downlow when it comes to Kurt's friends, just until after regionals. Then they'll tell his friends and of course, his family, and Blaine is happy that they've agreed on putting that on hold for now. He likes Burt, and he is fairly sure that Burt likes him, but he doesn't really want to tell the man he had a conversation with a few weeks ago about talking to his son about gay sex, that he is now dating said son. Somethings are better left for now.

They sit beside each other on the bus ride to Regionals, fingers laced together as some of the Warblers go over their harmonies, others discuss the amazing Mortal Kombat battle they're going to have when they get back to school after their epic win.

"Rachel wants to have lunch tomorrow" Kurt comments softly and Blaine turns to look at him, a small smile on his lips.

"That's nice. Are you going?"

"I don't know" Kurt worries his lower lip between his teeth for a few moments before he readjusts himself on the seat and lets out a sigh. "I'm a little terrified that she might poison my food if we win" He chuckles a little and Blaine gives his hand a small squeeze.

"I could be your taste tester. Sniff out any arsenic for you" he grins, and Kurt cracks a smile.

"And then who would I go out on dates with if Rachel Berry has inadvertently offed you?" he muses, and Blaine shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know. Tim from our social studies class is sweet on you" Blaine tells him and tries not to sound sour as he speaks. He'd only found out two days ago when Trent had stopped him in the halls and told him that Marcus had heard Tim talking to Kyle from Advanced Chem about how he thought Kurt was cute and wouldn't have minded a coffee with him, had Blaine not already swooped in to claim him. Blaine didn't think he was a jealous person, but he did find himself glaring a little at Tim from across the way, silently judging his perfectly swoopy blonde hair.

"I'm sorry. Sweet on me?" Kurt raises an eyebrow and Blaine nods.

"Yup" he pops the word and Kurt giggles a little and Blaine's eyebrows furrow.

"Why is that funny?" he asks, and Kurt gives him a small shrug.

"Because 'sweet on me'? That phrase makes you sound like you stepped right out of the 50s" Kurt grins and Blaine smiles at that.

"Oh"

"I love it. It's cute," Kurt blushes a little as he speaks. "but I don't care if Tim is sweet on me. Because _I_ happen to the sweet on _you_" he gives Blaine's hand another squeeze and looked up at him from under his lashes and Blaine can't help it. He can't help but lean in and press his lips softly against Kurt's, feeling the other boy smile against him. Their fingers press a little harder together and Blaine pulls back from the kiss after a few short moments. He knows some of the boys have seen them because they laugh and make kissy noises, but Blaine doesn't care in the slightest.

"Either way, I think you should go. And maybe you can take me with you and I can be your protector. Or, I can meet you after and give you lots of cuddles and we can put on a movie and not watch it…" Blaine trails of when Kurt laughs softly.

"Mhm, I like your plans"

They remain close together until the bus pulls up and then they unlace their fingers and exit the bus. Blaine knows that Kurt isn't the biggest fan of PDA, and he respects that. Whilst they sit close together in Warbler practice, hands clasped, they very rarely kiss in front of people like some of their friends do with their significant others, and whilst they haven't had a discuss about it yet, Blaine is fairly sure he knows why.

They make their way into the host school and Kurt races off to see his friends, Blaine choosing to stay behind and warm up a little more. He's a little nervous today, more so than before. He hasn't sung a duet before at a competition, and he's even more nervous about the fact that it's with Kurt. He wants to do well for him, be his best for him. He'd also sent the details to his parents, but he knows they won't show. They never do.

"Ready to win this thing?" Nick asks as he stands beside Blaine, doing small neck rotations to get himself ready.

"You betcha"

"We sound great, Blaine. Don't worry so much" the boy smiles and pats Blaine on the back. "Just don't give too big of heart eyes to Kurt. We don't want to audience throwing up from all the sweetness"

Nick ducks out of the way of Blaine's hand as he attempts to clip him around the back of the head, laughing as he does. The pair make their way to the back rooms to set down their things and go over their final sound checks. Blaine knows it's fierce competition this time, and he really has to focus. He spots Kurt and Mercedes from across the way as he makes his way towards the rest of the group and Mercedes flashes him a large smile before she hurries off to join the rest of the New Directions in the seating area. The Warblers drew second position, so waiting in the wings is a must. Blaine can tell from the soft blush to Kurt's face that he's told Mercedes about them, but Blaine doesn't mind. Mercedes can keep things to herself.

The Warblers all begin a few vocal warmups as the judges begin to introduce the competition, and Blaine tries his best to drown out the sound of the first choir. He doesn't need to focus on them. He just needs to focus on himself and his brothers, and he'll be fine. He makes his way into the wings, shaking out some of his nerves and getting himself hyped up. He spots Kurt and moves to his side, the taller boy immediately turning to him, fingers interlock nervously.

"Has anyone ever literally died on stage?"

Blaine looks over Kurt a small smile appears on his face, because Kurt looks paler than usual, and he's fiddling with his fingers in a very _Kurt_ like fashion and Blaine thinks it might eb the cutest thing he's seen.

"Are you nervous?" He asks softly and Kurt gives him a look before he lets out a small breath he'd been holding in.

"Please don't judge me." He breathes out and Blaine watches him for a moment before he looks at the kids coming off the stage. "This is the first time I've had a solo in front of a competition audience. I have this nightmare that I'm going to forget the lyrics or I'm going to sing and nothing is going to come out." Kurt sighs as Blaine moves around to the other side of him, cracking his neck a little before he looks at Kurt with a small look of sympathy on his face.

"Okay, you can judge me." Kurt smiles in a way that makes Blaine want to just kiss him. He's so cute and nervous and clearly excited at the same time. Blaine hasn't seen Kurt like this at a competition before, and he kind of loves it. He lets out a small breath before he answers.

"I think it's adorable. I think _you're_ adorable, and the only people that are going to be dying tonight are the people in that audience, because you and I are going to kill this thing." Blaine speaks to Kurt gently, his hands squeezing lightly at his shoulders. "Come on, let's go."

He gives Kurt's shoulder a final squeeze before he heads over to get ready on the stage. He looks around at the rest of the Warblers and they all share soft, encouraging smiles with one another. They can do this. Together.

They're announced over the speakers and soon the curtain is rising up and it's their time to perform. Blaine is in the zone, he's ready and he's excited and he just _knows_ that they're going to absolutely kill it.

They do kill it.

He and Kurt sound amazing together, and the entire time they're singing their duet, Blaine can't really take his eyes off Kurt. He shines on stage, and whilst it's obvious that he's nervous, it's endearing in a way that is so very _Kurt_ and Blaine can't help the overwhelming sense of pride that he feels when they sing together. His own solo goes perfectly – in his opinion – and before he can really fully comprehend and process the performance, they're being ushered off the stage so it can be dressed and ready for the next group, and Blaine is buzzing. He's buzzing with the usual post-performance high that he has, and he seeks out Kurt in the crowd of blazers, his fingers slipping quickly into the other boys. Kurt turns with a raised brow to smile at him and before he can get any words out, Blaine has pulled him back into a small, dark corner of the wings and is kissing him softly. He feels the breath hitch in Kurt's throat, and it takes a small moment for the young man's shoulders to relax as he melts into the kiss, fingers squeezing gently back in Blaine's hold. When they part, Kurt's eyes are shining, and his lips are pulled into a small, sweet smile.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Kurt asks softly and Blaine just smiles at him.

"You were amazing. I just wanted you to know"

Blaine has the pleasure of watching Kurt's cheeks turn their usual shade of pink and he squeezes his hand again before they move to join their fellow Warblers in the seating area. They get settled into their seats and Kurt makes sure that the foam fingers under the seats are there. Blaine is forever amazed by Kurt and his forward planning, and apparently, he and Mercedes had arranged for these props prior to the competition, so Blaine doesn't question it. He settles back into his seat as the New Directions are announced and when Kurt whispers to him about the original songs, he feels impressed. They'd written original songs and they were killing it. Rachel was so full of emotion (as Blaine knew she always would be) and it genuinely sounded like a hit ballad. Their next song is more upbeat and relatable, and Blaine finds himself dancing along with the rest of the audience as the New Directions completely own the stage, and it's then that he realises they're going to lose to them. The New Directions had stepped up to the plate and blown the rest of the competition out of the park, and Blaine wasn't even mad. He was impressed. He finds himself watching Kurt as they finish their performance, taking in how the young man cheers for them the loudest, claps along the hardest and wipes the stray tears away from his eyes and somewhere deep down, Blaine feels it. He feels the small tug in his stomach that tells him he's going to lose Kurt to them as well. Not as a boyfriend, not at all. He won't lose that, but Kurt will leave him and the Warblers for them. He just will.  
And that was just something Blaine was going to have to deal with. For now, though, for now he would cheer along and wish them well. He would shake their choir Director's hand when the Warblers graciously lost, and he would take it in his stride, and that is exactly what he did.

* * *

As morbid as it might have been, the Warblers do end up holding a small service for Pavarotti. They perform a haunting rendition of 'Wind Beneath My Wings' and bury the small casket in the ground under a tree on the far ground of Dalton. Kurt gives a small speech about his favourite time with the little canary (one of which involved finding him attempting to nest in Blaine's hair) and they depart after a minute of silence, leaving just Kurt and Blaine and the little grave.

"Farewell, sweet prince"

Kurt throws a handful of dirt down on top of the casket and Blaine begins to shovel the rest of the dirt back on it, burying it in the ground with his little shovel.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt." He sighs gently as he works, wrapped up from the bitter air by his scarf and coat. "I know this is really upsetting for you. It reminds you of your mom's funeral, doesn't it?"

Blaine isn't really sure why that sentence comes out of his mouth, and as he stands up straight next to Kurt and looks down at the little mound of dirt, he feels like an idiot. If Kurt thinks he's an idiot, he doesn't show it.

"The casket was bigger, but yes. It's not just that, though. Honestly, I'm upset that we lost at Regionals." Kurt sighs and twirls the single red rose he has between his fingers.

"Well, the competition season's over, but we'll still get to perform. We do nursing home shows all the time. And do you know how many Gaps there are in Ohio? Tons."

_God, really on a roll today with brining up awkward topics, Anderson._

"Yeah, I just really…really wanted to win."

Kurt gently places the rose on top of the tiny grave and a small smile comes over Blaine's lips, because despite the fact that this is a sad day, they lost Regionals and won't get to compete again for the rest of the season- he find's that he _actually_ doesn't feel that awful. And he knows why.

"You did win." Blaine smiles softly and looks up to see Kurt blinking at him in response. "So did I. We got each other out of all this. That beats a lousy trophy, don't you think?"

Kurt matches his smile and he holds out his hand for Kurt to take.

Their hands clasp together as they make their way back across the gardens, the wind blistering a little around them.

"Hot chocolate and McDreamy?" Blaine offers and Kurt gives him a small smile, shaking his head.

"No. I think I want to go home"

"Oh. Okay, well I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow anything so-"

"No," Kurt cuts him off with a light chuckle, looking over at Blaine with a smile as they walk. "I want to go home _with_ you. I want to introduce you as my boyfriend"

"Introduce me?"

Blaine can feel his heart start to beat a little bit faster in his chest at the idea of being introduced to Burt as Kurt's boyfriend.

_Boyfriend_.

The very word still made Blaine's cheeks flush pink and his stomach do little flips of excitement. He was Kurt Hummel's boyfriend.

"Well, I've already told Dad that we're dating. I just think it would be nice or you to come over so he can give you the inevitable parent speech and we can watch Disney on my new couch"

"I think that sounds perfect" Blaine smiles softly and it only grows when Kurt leans in to give him a small kiss.

"Mhm. I think so too, boyfriend. I think so too"


	13. Chapter 13 - A Night of Neglect

**Chapter 13**

**A Night of Neglect  
**

When Blaine was 6 years old, he had come home from school with a large smile plastered on his face, thumbs tucked underneath the straps of his bright red school bag. He'd skipped into the house with Cooper trailing behind him, wanting nothing more than to get inside and tell his parents all about his _amazing_ day. He could hear his parents talking in the living room as he hurried inside, dumping his bag in the entryway. He didn't even bother taking off his shoes, he was _that _excited.

"Mummy!" Blaine called as he went hurrying into the living room, his mother looking up from where she sat on the couch, one of her beauty magazines open neatly on her lap.

"Darling, how was school?" Pam smiled softly at her son as he came bounding into the room. His shirt was a little untucked from his shorts, and his little red bowtie was lopsided, but he didn't seem to care at all.

"It was _amazing_! We had a new boy in our class today, Harry Wellington! He's from Texas!" Blaine hummed happily, swaying back and forth on his feet as he spoke.

"Blaine, come here. You look a damn sight with your clothes the way they are" Daniel huffed and waved the little boy over to him. Blaine hurried right over and stood in front of his father's armchair, grinning happily as his father's hands began to fix his shirt for him, tucking the hem back into his shorts.

"Harry is 6 as well, Daddy, just like me! And he has a big sister and 3 dogs. 3!" Blaine was practically bubbling with excited and he did his best to ignore his older brother's groans as he entered the room.

"Is he talking about that Harry kid again? This is all I've heard the _entire_ way home"

Blaine pouted and wriggling in his father's grip, turning so he could poke his tongue out at Cooper.

"Blaine, enough" his father's words had him spinning back around again, facing the man with a smile on his face.

"It's nice that he's making friends, Cooper. Be supportive" Pam hummed, going back to her magazine almost right away.

"Harry is my friend. My bestest friend, we decided. And he has really nice hair. It's red and curly and very, very soft, Daddy" Blaine gushed happily as Daniel moved to fix his little red bowtie. Harry has the loveliest hair that Blaine had ever seen, and he had been thrilled beyond belief when the little boy had let him touch it. It felt almost as nice as some of his mother's fur coats, and they were the softest things of all.

"He also had really green eyes. I think green is my favourite colour now. And Harry really likes to sing, and so do I! That's why we're best friends! Can he come over for a play date soon, Daddy? Please? He has to see our house! He will just love it, I can already tell! He said that he loves Disney movies too and that he wants to be a Disney Prince when he grows up and I hope he is because I want to be one too. I think we'd quite like to live in a big house, not a castle because castles are too big, but just a big house. And then we can get married together and -" Blaine wasn't sure how it had happened, but suddenly the entire left side of his face was stinging, stinging to the point that it brought tears to his large, shocked eyes. The sound of the slap rang around the room and Pam let out a short gasp, her magazine falling from her lap.

"Daniel…"

"Don't you _ever_ speak like that, Blaine!" His father looked at him with such anger on his face, so close to Blaine that the little boy could feel the warmth of his breath on his nose. His large hand was now curled around the top of Blaine's tiny arm, holding him still as he spoke. "Do you hear me, boy? Not in this house."

Blaine nodded frantically, tears racing down his little red cheeks, a sob caught in his throat. He wasn't sure what he'd said wrong, wasn't sure what he needed to apologise for, but he did it anyway.

"Sorry, Daddy! I'm sorry!"

His voice came out in little stammers, but Daniel's grip on his arm eased enough that he was able to step away from him.

"Go to your room"

The second the words left the man's lips; Blaine was hurrying out of the room as fast as his little legs could carry him. He could hear his mother and father starting to argue, but he didn't know what about. He just needed to get to his room. He scrambled up the stairs, tripping a little as he went. He frantically wiped away his tears as he pushed his way into his room, diving onto his bed. He collapsed into the pile of pillows, arms wrapping around them as he let himself cry into the soft fabric. His face was throbbing, and his little chest was heaving with his sobs, confusion taking over. What had he done wrong? His father had never slapped him like that before, and he just didn't understand why he'd done so now. He hadn't talked back or cussed. Blaine sniffled into his pillow and slowly rolled over, blinking blurrily up at the ceiling to his little patch of glow in the dark stars Cooper had helped him put up the previous summer.

"Hey squirt"

Blaine looked over to his doorway where his older brother now stood, holding a small packet of frozen peas in his hand.

"I thought you could use this"

Cooper made his way over to the little boy and sat on the edge of his bed, holding the bag of peas out to Blaine, who just stared at the bag with a look of confusion and disgust on his features.

"But I don't like peas" he sniffled, earning himself a chuckle form Cooper in response.

"Well it's a good job they aren't for eating. Put them on your face, it will help with the sucker of a mark you've got there" He pointed to Blaine's bright red cheek and the little boy took the peas and pressed the bag to his face, letting out a gasp.

"It's cold!"

"Yeah, coz it's frozen, squirt. Just hold it there"

Cooper positioned the bag for him and watched as Blaine curled his knees up to his chest, looking up at Cooper with large, tear filled eyes. He was silent for a few moments, taking in a few deep, shaky breaths before he spoke.

"W-what did I say wrong?"

Blaine watched as his brother just looked at him for a moment, almost as if he was having a conversation with himself in his head. Blaine shuffled on the bed in unease, unsure if Cooper would slap him too for asking. After a long moment, Cooper sighed and shuffled a little closer to Blaine, reaching out to adjust the bag of peas for him on his cheek.

"You know how you said that you wanted to live in a big house with Henry-"

"Harry!" Blaine corrected immediately and earned himself a small smile from his brother.

"Harry. You said you wanted to live in a big house with Harry and marry him."

"Yeah, and?" Blaine frowned and looked up at Cooper, his head cocked a little to the side. What was so wrong with that? Was his Dad mad at him for wanting to move out? He was one 6! He didn't plan on moving out until he was at least 30, just like his Mum always said.

"Well, squirt, some people don't like that. The whole… boys marrying boys thing" Cooper sighed softly, and Blaine just stared at him for a moment. Blaine hadn't really thought about the fact that Harry was a _boy_. He'd just really liked his hair and wanted their children to have that kind of hair too.

"Boys marry other boys?" He asked softly, bringing the frozen bag away from his face as he waited for Cooper to respond.

"Well, no. They don't. It's actually not legal"

"Legal?"

"Yeah. So, you know how if you… I don know- okay. So, you know how only boys play football?" Cooper asked and Blaine nodded eagerly.

"Yep! Daddy says I can play one day when I'm older. But I have to get a little taller first" Blaine hummed, and Cooper chuckled lightly.

"Right, well, only a man and a woman can get married to each other. Boys can't marry other boys and girls can't marry other girls"

Blaine's head start to hurt from that fact. He really wasn't sure what marriage was to begin with, he just knew that his friend's parents were married, except for his friend Ben who only had a Mummy because his Daddy had moved away to live with a lady who styled people's hair really bad.

"But why?" Blaine asked curiously, fiddling with the bag of peas in his hand. Cooper sighed and took the bag off him, pressing it to the little boy's cheek himself.

"Because they can't."

"But who said so?"

"People. The church. God, I don't know. Everyone" Cooper huffed, and Blaine shrunk back a little, a frown forming on his face.

"But…but I don't want to marry a girl. They're gross!" Blaine whined and frowned even harder when his brother proceeded to laugh softly.

"Yeah, squirt. Girls are gross. But you don't need to think about that kind of stuff yet. Just… don't talk about marrying other boys or liking other boys or kissing other boys, okay?"

"Kissing other boys? Coop! That's gross too!" Blaine poked out his tongue and shook his head, Cooper smiling down at him as he did.

"It is now, yeah. Just think before you say that kind of stuff in front of Dad, okay? You didn't know, and he shouldn't have hit you. But just… for the future" Cooper sighed and before Blaine could respond, he was being pulled into his brother's arms. He blinked a little, confused by the fact that his face was currently being squashed against Cooper's chest. He smelt like too much deodorant and faintly of cigarettes, but Blaine didn't mind so much. It wasn't often that he got hugs from his big brother. He smiled a little and wrapped his small arms around Cooper, hugging him back. He didn't get this often, so he'd take what he could for as long as he had it.

"And for the future, squirt, you can come and talk to me. If you have questions. You can tell me anything"

* * *

Standing in the entrance to his living room, bag hanging off his shoulder, tie loosened and heart hammering away in his chest, Blaine wishes more than anything that he had his big brother with him right now. Even though they don't speak all that much these days, Cooper still had a presence that made Blaine feel a little stronger, a little more hopeful, like he had someone in his corner.

"Blaine, good day at school?"

Daniel looks up from his paper from where he sits in his armchair, Pam looking up from her magazine. It's a rare night that they're both home and it's partly the reason why Blaine even decided to come home tonight anyway.

"Oh, Blaine dear. We didn't expect you home tonight. Did you want some dinner? I can see what we've got in the fridge" Pam smiles and Blaine shakes his head, setting his bag down on the floor beside his feet.

"No, no need. I actually already ate" he smiles a little. He's just come back from a dinner date at breadsticks with Kurt. A date in which they had locked ankles under the table, stolen little hand touches across said table, smiled and giggled and just enjoyed each other's company. And now Blaine wishes he was back there, with Kurt, wrapped up in bliss.

"We weren't expecting you home until tomorrow" Daniel tells him, though there isn't much of a pleasant tinge to his tone, and his mother seems to notice.

"Not that it matters, right Daniel?"

At his wife's pointed look, Daniel shakes his head and looks down at his papers again, glasses slipping down his nose.

"Not at all." He hums and Blaine is silent for a moment. He looks at his parents, both of whom are now fully invested back in their reading, and he decides to just go for it.

"I was with Kurt"

His father doesn't look up, but his mother does. Blaine notices that her brown eyes have gone softer, and she slowly closes the magazine in her lap.

"Mmm" His father just hums, flicking over the page, pushing his glasses a little further up his nose.

"On a date. I was with Kurt and we were on a date. Be-because we're dating." Blaine forces the words out and his mother's lips curl up a little into a smile, moving to set the magazine on the coffee table. Blaine watches with a thudding heart and sweaty palms as Daniel's finger stops where it was running down the page. His head tilts up and his eyes lock with Blaine's, and for a fleeting moment he feels terrified. His hands start to shake, and he knows that beads of sweat are forming along his hairline as he waits for his father's reaction. Daniel moves and Blaine tries not to flinch, the memory of the slap to his face was he was 6-years- old feeling almost as if it had happened only yesterday. Daniel sets his paper down on top of his wife's magazine and takes his glasses from his face, stowing them neatly in his pocket before he meets his son's gaze.

"I see"

His father's tone isn't one of anger or disgust. Blaine isn't really sure there was a name for it, but it was evident that he was processing the information slowly. Blaine shuffles on his feet, wanting nothing more than to race up to his room and hide away for the rest of the night. Instead, he straightens his tie and stands just a little bit taller.

"We've been dating for three weeks now, actually" Blaine tells them boldly, looking between both of his parents. "Since just before our regionals competition. I just thought you should know"

At that, Daniel sits up a little and shuffles to the edge of his seat.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" The man asks and holds up a hand to silence his wife as she goes to speak. "Blaine can speak for himself, Pam. He's 17 tomorrow, after all" Daniel looks up at his son and Blaine takes in a small breath.

_Just tell him, Anderson. Tell him that you can still feel the impact of his hand across your cheek. Tell him that even though he's said he's fine with you being gay, you're terrified that he's lying, and he'll hate you for acting on it._

"I-I didn't think it was that big of a deal" Blaine lies, his eyes flickering back and forth between his parents. He watches as a sad smile forms on his mother's face, and his father's harsh brow furrows.

"We raised you not to lie, Blaine. Let's try this again. Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Blaine stares at Daniel for a long moment before he answers.

"I was worried that you wouldn't be okay with it. With me dating Kurt. Because he-he's a boy"

The words are out there now, and they hang in the air around Blaine like a bad smell that he can't shake off. Pam is looking between him and Daniel, clearly just as unsure of what to expect as Blaine himself. Daniel takes a moment, gets to his feet and adjusts his glasses in his breast pocket.

"I think that we need to have a conversation. Clearly, we need to work out some… opposing ideas we're having"

Daniel gestures for Blaine to take a seat, and he does. He goes to sit beside his mother, who immediately takes his hand and holds in tightly between both of hers. Daniel Anderson starts to pace in front of them, walking up and down the length of the living room a few times before he stops on the other side of the coffee table to look at his son.

"Blaine, honestly, please, do you think that your mother and I would have a problem with you dating a boy?"

Blaine doesn't even look at his mother as he answers.

"No, sir," he begins, and his father's expression relaxes for a moment. "Not Mom"

At that, Daniel's expression tightens again as he gives a quick nod.

"Right. And why do you think I would have an issue with this?"

"Because when I was 6, I told you that o-ne day I was going to marry Harry Wellington, and you slapped me," Blaine swallows. "You slapped me so hard that sometimes I-it's like I can still feel it." He looks at his father and the man opens his mouth to speak, so Blaine continues.

"When I was 13 and you gave me the more… adult version of the sex talk, I asked you what sex was like for gay kids and you told me that it wasn't something I should concern myself with, that-that it wasn't natural" Blaine keeps eye contact with his father and watches as he man's face starts to drain of colour.

"Daniel" Pam sighs softly and turns to look at Blaine, keeping her hand in his own. "Sweetheart, you know that isn't true"

"Yeah, I know that. Because I found out for myself. I made friends and I joined online forums and I went looking for what a life being me could be like, because my Dad didn't want to help me" Blaine swallows hard and pulls his hand from his mother's grip, adjusting his tie a little when it feels like it's starting to choke him. "So, I didn't tell you about Kurt because I didn't want to hear anything like that again. Not with Kurt"

There's a long moment of silence as Daniel just looks at his son, a confused and somewhat hurt expression evident on his face. His eyes which were usually so cold seem to harbour a sort of sadness Blaine hasn't seen in them for years.

"Well, then I owe you an apology," Daniel begins. "For making you feel liken you-you aren't…" the words seem to get stuck in his throat, and it tugs at Blaine's heart.

"You can't even say it, can you?"

His voice comes out in barely a whisper and Pam shuffles a little where she sits.

"Daniel" She warns and earns herself a brief look as Daniel flounders for just a moment.

"I can't pretend like I'm thrilled, and I won't. Did I want this life for you? Absolutely not. But I'm not going to stand here and condemn you for living your life how you… how you're living it." Daniels tells him and tugs a little at his collar. "If you're dating Kurt, then that's fine. You're practically 17 now, dating is normal at your age. We-we'll just have to have a conversation about what we will and won't tolerate. Just like we did when Cooper started dating" He nods his head and looks to his wife for some kind of support. Pam smiles softly and takes Blaine's hand back into her own.

"You can tell us anything, sweetheart. You can" she tries to assure him, and Blaine wants more than anything to believe her, but he can see from how his father is standing that he's uncomfortable with the situation, uncomfortable with _Blaine_, and as much as he wants to push that away, he can't.

"Thanks" Blaine forces a smile and slowly gets to his feet. "Can I go to my room, please? I have some studying to do"

"Of course," Daniel gestures towards the doorway and Blaine hurries off quickly, not really wanting to be in the room for a second longer. He takes the stairs two at a time until he reaches the top landing, letting out a small breath he'd been holding in.

_Look on the bright side, Anderson. You didn't get your ass handed to you today._

Blaine opens the door to his room and falls face forward onto his bed, breathing in the scent of the freshly washed sheets. Even though he wasn't due home until tomorrow night, his mother had still made sure they were done for him. He rolls over and stares up at the ceiling, folding his hands over his chest.

Tomorrow, he turns 17. Tomorrow, he gets to wake up and go to school and see his _boyfriend_ and celebrate with him. Tomorrow is going to be a good day if he can just get through tonight.

Tonight, he had planned on telling his parents he was dating Kurt, so he could check that one off his mental checklist. Next was telling his brother. He hasn't heard from Cooper for a few weeks now, and although that wasn't an uncommon occurrence, he wasn't sure if he wanted to break their communication silence to tell him he now has a boyfriend.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he fumbles to fish it out, smiling when he sees that it's Kurt who's messaged him.

_**From Kurt:**_

**How did tonight go? **

_**From Blaine:**_

**They haven't kicked me out, so I think that's a good sign.**

_**From Kurt:**_

**That doesn't give me much reassurance that it went well.  
Do you need a place to stay?**

Blaine smiles at the sweet message and hits the little green phone icon, putting the phone to his ear.

"Oh my god, you do need a place to stay?"

Kurt's voices comes though, worried and a little higher than usual, and Blaine smiles.

"No. But if you're offering me a night cap…"

"You're the worst" Kurt chuckles lightly and Blaine can imagine the little crinkles in the corner of his eyes that appear when he smiles. "I take it that things went okay?"

"They went okay, yeah. Mum was pretty quiet and Dad basically said that if it's going to happen, he'll just have a deal with it" Blaine sighs and closes his eyes, trying to imagine that he's back at Dalton in his dorm room, Kurt laying beside him. If he focuses really hard, he can almost smell Kurt's cologne.

"He said that?"

"Well, not in _those_ words, but that was the gist. He didn't say anything homophobic or overly negative. He said he doesn't agree with my life choices but he's not going to condemn me for it. Oh, and apparently there will be rules.

"Rules?"

"Yeah. I don't know what yet, but I'm assuming they'll be kind of like the rules they gave to my brother when he started dating"

"You gonna clue me in on what those are?"

"Well, he had a curfew of 10" Blaine sighs gently. "Which means dinner and a movie might be hard"

"Does that count for school nights?"

Kurt's question does have Blaine thinking. What will happen when they're at Dalton? They already have curfew but that never really stopped any of the students from sneaking into each other's dorms after hours.

"Why? Are you plotting some untoward, Mr Hummel?" Blaine teases and he hears Kurt snort of the phone.

"In your dreams, Anderson. I'm simply wondering if our late-night Grey's Anatomy marathons can continue now that we're dating"

Even just hearing Kurt _say_ that they're dating makes Blaine's stomach flutter with excitement and his lips curl up into a smile.

"I think we could manage them"

They lay in silence on the phone for a few moments before Kurt speaks up.

"I have to go and help Finn with some homework before I turn in. I'll see you tomorrow?" Kurt asks gently and Blaine just smiles.

"Yeah, definitely."

"Great. Sleep well. And hey, when I see you next, you'll be 17"

"Tonight was the perfect celebration, Kurt. Thank you"

"You're so very welcome. Goodnight, Blaine"

"Goodnight, Kurt"

They hang up their phones and Blaine lays on his bed, grinning to himself as he stares up at the ceiling, eyes flickering over the little glow in the dark stars that he and Cooper had put up there together all those years ago. Something in his chest aches and he grips his phone a little tighter in his hands. He will tell him brother. He will.

Just not tonight.

* * *

Blaine wakes up to a slightly burnt pancake breakfast, brought upstairs to him by his parents. They both seem well rested and Blaine isn't too sure what to make of that. They give him their gift – a voucher to Brooks Brothers and a gift card to his favourite gaming store- and let him know that they'll both be needing to leave after dinner for separate work trips, as planned, and then that he isn't to have Kurt over whilst they're gone.

"I'm sorry?" Blaine blinks up at his parents, half a mouthful of pancake still in his mouth.

"Manners" Daniel huffs and Blaine swallows quickly, pushing the breakfast tray away so he can sit up a little better in bed.

"I-I can't have Kurt over when you're away? Why?" He asks, and he knows he really should know the answer, but he has to hear them say it.

"Well sweetheart, we know that you're getting older," Pam starts and rests a manicured hand on Blaine's covered knee. "And your father and I had a little chat last night and we've decided that we think it's best if you and Kurt don't have the house to yourselves just yet" she smiles, and Blaine doesn't return it.

"But why?" he asks, and Daniel speaks up.

"Because we don't want you… uh… because it was the same for Cooper"

"Yea, but that was Cooper had the ability to get someone unintentionally pregnant"

At this, Pam sits up a little and Daniel's cheeks start to turn a bright shade of pink.

"Blaine-"

"No, but that's why. And that isn't going to happen with me and Kurt. I really can't see why I can't have Kurt over when you're gone-"

"Because this is my house and I've said so!" Daniel raises his voice and gives Blaine a hard look, the young man's mouth locking closed as the tone effectively silences him.

"I won't have you arguing back to us. As long as you're under this roof, my rules apply. Now, until we decide it is… appropriate… you and Kurt are not to be in this house together alone without our approval. Am I clear?"

Blaine meets his father's cold stare and he simply nods.

"Yes, Sir"

The room is silent for a moment, the clock ticking on Blaine's bed side table attempting to fill the air before Daniel claps his son's shoulder.

"Good. I'm off to the Hospital. I'll see you for dinner" He smiles and gives his wife a kiss on the cheek before he leaves.

"Mom-"

"No" Pam sighs gently as Blaine tries to question her, looking back at her son with a small smile. "Your father is right. For now, those are the rules" she leans forward and presses a kiss to Blaine's forehead that he just knows is going to leave a pink lip imprint in its wake. "Have a good day at school, darling" she smiles at him before she rises and leaves the room, closing the bedroom door behind her. Blaine just stares at the door for a moment before he slowly climbs out of bed and pads across the room to his closet, leaving his breakfast still half eaten. He now doesn't feel all that hungry. As he sifts through his clothes to find his spare Dalton uniform, he tries to process the conversation he's just had. It's not like he expects he and Kurt to have sex right away. Sure, Kurt is incredibly attractive, and Blaine has had to cool down after some of their wonderful make-out sessions, but things are still very young between them. They enjoy holding hands and stealing shy glances at each other from across classrooms. They aren't in a place where sex would even come up right now.

With his uniform out and on his bed, Blaine makes his way to the shower to get ready for the day, pushing his parents and their rules to the back of his mind. He chooses instead to focus on Kurt, on school, and on the awesome birthday lunch he's sure the Warblers will provide today.

* * *

"I personally think that I could have made these a little sweeter, but Finn had used most of the honey on some weird foot scrub he's been making recently. I think he's been sneaking Quinn's beauty tip magazines home" Kurt hums as he sits on Blaine's bed in the Dalton Boarding rooms, a tray of honey glazed vanilla cupcakes sitting on his lap. Blaine sits beside him, their shoulders pressed together as the small TV screen on the other side of the room plays the opening scene to Tangled.

"I think they're one of the most delicious things I've ever taste" Blaine grins at his boyfriend as he licks his fingers free of the icing, already two cupcakes in. Kurt had surprised him that morning with a small box of chocolates, a video game that Blaine had been meaning to buy for the last few weekends, and a lovely little navy blue bow-tie with little caramel swirls on it 'to go with his eyes'. Blaine had felt so very grateful and couldn't wait for the weekend, so he had a chance to sport the gift.

"Well, that's because you haven't tasted my breakfast waffles yet" Kurt smiles softly and picks up a smaller cupcake, taking a bite as Blaine watches him. They'd decided to indulge in a Disney film together, and right after his Birthday Dinner with his parents, Baine had driven the long drive back to Dalton so he and Kurt could do just that. His roommate, James, had even been kind enough to give them the room for a few hours, and Blaine was thankful. He'd promised his parents that he could stick to their rules, and now was a better time than any to discuss that fact with Kurt, but Kurt didn't seem to be finished yet. "Though, I guess it might be a while until you try them. My Dad has this 'no sleepover' rule now" Kurt sighs and Blaine's eyes blink.

_Really? Burt had the same talk with Kurt? Do they think all we are is sex hungry teens?_

"Your Dad said I can't stay over?" Blaine muses and Kurt sighs and sets his cupcake down on the tray, his cheeks turning a little pink.

"Yeah. I mean…he's been a little weird ever since that sex talk he gave me a few weeks ago," He hums, and Blaine shuffles a little on the bed. "But he sat me down again the other night and said that I can't have you stay over without his permission, and he and/or Carole have to be there. And you can't stay in the same room as me" Kurt looks up at Blaine from under his lashes and all Blaine really wants to do is kiss him. He looks so cute and sweet and Blaine finds himself leaning a little closer to him.

"That's okay. But what about here?" He raises an eyebrow that Kurt matches.

"Here?"

"Yeah, I mean… we're alone, right? I know curfew is 10, but the teachers rarely come and check on us. Did your Dad say anything about rules whilst you're here?"

From the blush that settles on Kurt's high cheeks, Blaine takes that as a no.

"No, he didn't" Kurt breathes out and Blaine's eyes flicker down to his lips. They look soft and plump and he's sure that if he were to kiss him right now, he'd taste like honey and coffee and _Kurt_. Blaine closes the gap between them and presses his lips to Kurt's. It's a soft, tender kiss at first, but then Blaine's hand comes up to cup the young mans cheek and his tongue running along the seam of Kurt's lips, and the other boy is all but giving in to the wonderful sensation currently running through their bodies. Every touch is thrilling to them, still. Every caress of skin and every peck of lips is wonderful, and sometimes Blaine feels like he's addicted to Kurt. He presses a little closer, a little harder, and a small whimper escapes from Kurt's mouth to his before the boy is pulling back, shaking his head.

"We shouldn't" He breathes, eyes fluttering open to look at Blaine, and all _that_ does is make Blaine want to kiss him even more.

"Shouldn't kiss?" He asks, his hand still on Kurt's cheek. He lets his thumb stroke over his smooth, alabaster skin and Kurt's lips tug up into a little smile.

"No, we can kiss. But we shouldn't be-we-we need boundaries".

Kurt reaches up to move Blaine's hand from his face, but he keeps a hold of it anyway. At this, Blaine sits up a little and looks at his boyfriend.

"Boundaries?"

Kurt gives him a nod before he moves the tray of cupcakes to the nightstand before turning to sit cross legged in front of Blaine, taking both of the boy's hands into his own.

"I know that we're still new to this whole thing, but I think that we _should_ set boundaries for ourselves. I mean, I told you only a few weeks ago that the idea of s-sex is a scary thing" Kurt swallows the words and Blaine squeezes his hand softly. He isn't really sure about this conversation, but the more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense to him.

"I don't want to have sex, Kurt" Blaine tells him in a firm, sure tone. _Not yet, anyway._

"Neither do I, but I-you told me what sex means to you. The logistics," His voice goes up a little, but he tries to keep on going and Blaine commends him for it, shocked that Kurt hasn't tried to bolt for the door yet. "and I don't really know what sex is for me yet. I'm still figuring it out, and whilst I am, I think we should set some basic boundaries"

Blaine can't help but smile at this. Of course, he wants to respect Kurt and their relationship, and it's obvious to him that Kurt is _definitely_ not ready for any kind of sex, but neither is Blaine. Sure, he jerks off just like any other teenage boy, and yes, he _really_ enjoys making out with his boyfriend, but even he isn't ready to do much more at this point.

"Basic boundaries sound good"

The reassurance makes Kurt smile a little wider, sit up a little taller.

"Okay. So, first sort of rule. We promise to talk about where we're both at on the physical intimacy spectrum, and if we want to change anything, we talk first"

"Agreed"

"Great. I-I really like kissing you. And holding your hand. And I-I'm fine for us to cuddle in bed together like we used to do anyway. I just… for now I think kissing is all I can handle"

Kurt's cheeks flush an even brighter shade of pink and Blaine just smiles at him, his thumbs running over the knuckles on his long, nimble fingers.

"Kissing is perfect in my books. What about the areas of kissing? Are we just talking lips? Or can we venture a little lower?" Blaine waggles his eyebrows at Kurt and the young man snorts, his cheeks bright pink.

"Lower?" He giggles and Blaine moves his fingers to gently run over the exposure of Kurt's neck.

"I was thinking here" Blaine hums and leans forward, only to be stopped by having Kurt's hand press against his face. "Okay, why?" he breathes and pulls back to see Kurt smiling at him.

"This is silly" Kurt smiles and Blaine blinks for a moment.

"Silly? I didn't think me kissing your neck was silly-"

"No, setting strict boundaries is silly" Kurt hums and moves his hand down to gently runover Blaine's clean-shaven cheek. "Maybe we should just do what feels good and right and if we aren't ready for something, we can just communicate that to the other" He smiles gently and lens forward to press a soft and sweet kiss to Blaine's lips. Blaine smiles against him and presses forward, his hands moving to Kurt's small waist. He loves kissing Kurt, loves the softness of his lips, the gently press of his fingers against his cheek and jaw. He settled down into the pillows on his bed, laying side by side with Kurt as they kiss, the movie all but forgotten, playing in the background.

After a small while, they pull apart to take a breather, Blaine nuzzling into Kurt's neck. He smiles against his skin, Kurt's fingers sliding gently through his half-gelled curls. He hasn't shown Kurt his totally gel-free head yet. He doesn't want Kurt to go running for the hills.

"Do you want to come with me to a benefit concert next Saturday?" Kurt asks softly, curling his hair through two fingers.

"A benefit concert?"

"Well, it's the New Directions performing and it to raise money for flights to Nationals, but it could be fun. We could even get dinner together beforehand"

Blaine smirks at that and pulls back to look up at Kurt.

"Are you asking me on a date?" He raises a brow and grins to match Kurt's smile.

"I might be. Are you saying yes?"

"I might be"

They smile at each other for a moment before Kurt leans down and kisses Blaine again, and they begin another round of making out happily together.

This was exactly how Blaine had hoped his birthday would end, and it is the best one he's had so far.

* * *

"So, do you want a grand tour?" Kurt asks as he and Blaine walk side by side into McKinley Highschool the following Saturday night. Blaine tugs a little at the black sweater he has on under his coat. He's dressed simple tonight, nothing too fashion forward. He'd asked Kurt for the dress coat and Kurt has said 'classis, casual chic', so Blaine had decided that toned down was the way to go. He'd heard a lot about the crowd that populated Williams McKinley High School, and he really didn't want to fan any flames on the homophobic fire they would do doubt be encountering later in the night.

"I wouldn't say no" Blaine hums in response, following Kurt down the hallway of the school.

"Well, if you look to your left, that is the entrance to the cafeteria. In there you will be subject to many a lunch-time riot, and really foul-smelling glug that they try to pass off as food. I tip my hat to Dalton. At least they know that food _is_" Kurt chuckles softly and Blaine grins at him.

"The lunch ladies are wonderful. I think Velma actually used to be a chef"

"Noted" Kurt smiles and points to the trophy case as they pass it. "This is where the school puts all of it's shining glory. Obviously, any trophies the Glee Club have go into the choir room. And Coach Sylvester has her own cabinet somewhere too." He glosses over the cabinet and they continue on, Blaine grinning to himself shoving his hands into his pocket as Kurt's tells him little facts about the school that he knows he'll never remember, but he indulges his boyfriend all the same.

"So, down the hall there is the girl's bathroom. It is much nicer than the boys, obviously. I think that they actually have warm water? Don't ask" Kurt hums and leads Blaine a little further down the hallway. "And that was the Spanish classroom. And, of course, you know the choir room-"

"Hey, you guys, you better get in the auditorium. The show's about to start." Brittany smiles as she pushes Artie down the hallway. Blaine's eyes linger on the red bowtie the boy is wearing around his neck, and he finds himself wishing he's worn his tonight, too.

"It's gonna be a full house, y'all. Gotta get there early to get a good seat." Artie smiles as they pass, Brittany giving Blaine the tiniest of waves.

"We'll be there in a minute. I'm just showing Blaine around."

"Thanks for coming and supporting us, guys. It's really cool." Artie gives them a meaningful smile before the disappear passed the door, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone in the hallway again.

"Bye."

Blaine watches as Kurt's eyes linger on his retreating friends, and he feels a familiar tug in his stomach. Kurt misses them. Kurt misses his friends and he's hurting. The look of utter longing on the young man's face is enough to make that fact concrete in Blaine's mind, and all he really wants to do is kiss that small pout of Kurt's right off his lips.

"Aw, you miss them." He smiles gently, looking up at Kurt as the boy smiles sadly. Maybe now Kurt will admit to him, that he misses the New Directions and McKinley a whole lot more than he lets on.

"What the hell are you two doing here?"

The voice sounds and Blaine turns, eyes narrowing as he takes in the sight of Dave Karofsky, still dressed in his track gear. Oddly, he doesn't look as big without his letterman jacket.

"We're here for the benefit. Don't tell me you're going." Kurt answers the boy always immediately and an even deeper frown sets itself on Karofsky's face.

"I wouldn't be caught dead." Karofsky huffs and Blaine tried his hardest not to huff at the retort, because as far as he's concerned, Karofsky probably listens to showtunes in the car when he thinks no one else is around to hear him.

"I was pumping iron in the gym, and one of the guys told me you two were here, spreading your fairy dust all over the place." The taller boy sneers and Blaine feels a small fire start to burn in his chest at his words.

"Will you just give it up?" He huffs, Karofsky's eyes now firmly on him. He knows he should just leave it be, but he can't. Not when the guy who threatened the life of his boyfriend is standing right in front of him. The bait was just to sweet not to take a stab at. "Live whatever lie you want, but don't pretend the three of us don't know what's going on here"

It seems like those words are what Karofsky needed to be pushed over the edge, because his nostrils flare and Blaine is unsure if it's fear or anger he can see reflected in the taller boys eyes.

"You don't know squat, butt boy!"

At that, Blaine steps forward and shoves the taller boy in the chest, only to have him come back just as hard, grabbing onto the lapels of Blaine's coat. For a split second, Blaine thinks that he might get punched in the face again. Maybe he'll get another broken nose. The idea terrified him, but if he doesn't stand his ground, the anger might be turned towards Kurt.

"Hey! No! You guys, stop!"

A finely manicured hand pushes its way into Blaine's line of sight, and shoves Karofsky off him.

"Real brave with your fists, but you're a coward when it comes to the truth!" Kurt cried as Blaine steadies himself and realises that Santana has come to join them.

"Truth about what?" Santana asks Kurt, but Karofsky interrupts before Kurt even has a chance to speak.

"It's none of your business, J. Lo."

"First of all, anything you do became my business when you decided to toss that slushee all up in my grill."

"I think I can take a couple of queers and a girl." Karofsky spits and Santana takes a step forward. Blaine glances over to Kurt, who seems to be content with letting the girl take control of the situation, so Blaine stays right where he is. He's heard about Santana cutting people down with her vicious words before, and he guesses he's about to see some of her famous work in action.

"Okay. See, here's what's gonna go down. Two choices. You stay here and I crack one of your nuts,  
right or left- that's your choice...or you walk away and live to be a douche bag another day. And also,  
I have razor blades hidden in my hair. Mm-hmm. Tons. Just all up in there."

At the girl's wild gestures to her thick, black hair, Karofsky huffs and turns on his heel, storming off back the way he came. Santana turns around and smiles at the boys, but Blaine doesn't really return it.

"We could've handled that." He tells her, and he is a little surprised when she shrugs at him.

"It was more fun doing it together." She smiles and her eyebrows furrow as her phone buzzes in her hand and she glances down at it. "Oh, crap."

Blaine watches as Santana storms off and he fixes his jacket a little, Kurt sighing beside him.

"I'm sorry"

"What are you sorry for?" Blaine asks, looking over his shoulder to see if Karofsky has made an unwelcomed return.

"This. Subjecting you to the hell that is McKinley High," Kurt gestures around them before he folds his arms across his chest. "I don't even go here anymore, and it _still_ follows me around" he sighs and Blaine bites down on his lip and takes another glance over his shoulder before he reaches out to touch Kurt's shoulder.

"I don't think it's so much the school as it is the total asshole who just left," he forces a small smile and squeezes his boyfriend's shoulder. "But you don't need to apologise to me. This is, sadly, just something that we're going to have to deal with, because we live in backwards Ohio" Blaine chuckled gently, and Kurt's lips turn up into a small smile.

"How are you always so positive?" he asks, and they begin walking down the hall, shoulders brushing each other as they do.

"I'm not. But I try to be. The way I see it, we don't have to spend the rest of our lives here. Knowing there's a time limit on all the hate? That helps"

They walk in silence for a few moments before Kurt looks up at him again.

"You seemed kind of annoyed with Santana back there"

_He noticed You have a rather perceptive boyfriend there, Anderson._

"I wasn't annoyed, Kurt. I just don't like people fighting my battles for me" Blaine shrugs his shoulders and shoves his hands back into the pockets of his coat.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Karofsky is everyone's battle"

Blaine looks up at his boyfriend and gives him a small smile. "I'm not trying to be a hero. I just want you to know that I can hold my own. And I'm not going to let that guy hurt you again" He nods and swears it, mostly to himself, and Kurt smiles in return.

"I don't doubt you for a second, Blaine Anderson" he hums and nudges his shoulder gently before he points to small door.

"That is the janitor's closet. Surprisingly clean and roomy" He hums and Blaine's eyebrows furrow at the remark.

"Why do I need to know that?" he asks and watches as Kurt's lips curl up into a smirk.

"Because _that_ is where we're going to make out during the intermission"

At that, Blaine laughs loudly, his cheeks slightly pink at the thought of being in a dark, enclosed space with Kurt. What a wonderful thought it was.

* * *

"So, they just… did it to like… no one?" Wes asks as he sits in the Dalton Senior Common room, twirling a pen around in his fingers.

"Yup. But they were all really great" Blaine smiles and looks down at Kurt from where he's sitting on the floor between Blaine's legs, back resting against the couch. "Is the pizza on it's way?" he hums and Kurt smacks his leg.

"For the last time, yes! I ordered it like 30 minutes ago" Kurt sighs softly and looks up at Blaine. "I don't know why you're hungry. You ate like… an hour ago" he smirks just a little and both of their heads snap over to Jeff as he speaks.

"Probably from all the sex"

The room falls silent and Blaine can feel his cheeks flush pink, the grip on his pencil tightening.

"Shut it, Jeff" he huffs and raises a pencil, poised to throw it right at his friends grinning face, but Kurt seems to stop him, a gentle hand on Blaine's thigh.

"Don't waste a pencil on him. Jeff is just jealous that he isn't getting any at all" Kurt smiles far too sweetly, and Blaine's anger seems to subside as he watches his boyfriend rise to his feet as there's a knock on the door. "Kristy never called him back" he stage whispers and the room fills with 'oohs' from Wes, Nick and David as Jeff sits in his chair, blushing right down to his toes.

"Kurt got you" David grins and Jeff proceeds to throw his pencil at him.

Blaine's eyes follow his boyfriend across the room to where he's opening the door for the pizza man, a boy with a head of light blonde hair standing there with the box instead. The boy couldn't have been much older than ten.

"Pizza for Mr Anderson!" the little boy pipes up and Blaine gets to his feet, interested in finding out the story behind why his second favourite pizza chain was now hiring minors.

"Thanks," Kurt breathes as he looks down at the little boy. "Do-uh-do I pay you?" he asks, and Blaine appears by his shoulder. The little boy looks up at them, clutching the large box in his hands.

"No! No, you pay me! Hey, Kurt" a voice calls from down the hall as a young man Blaine's recognizes to be Sam Evans comes hurrying down the hallways. He stops just behind the little boy and places a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry. I got lost trying to find the bathrooms" Sam smiles and Blaine looks between the two of them.

"is this like a bring your kid to work day thing?" He jokes and Kurt's elbow nudges him in the ribs as Sam goes a little pink.

"Uh-no. This is my brother, Stevie. He likes to come along for rides sometimes. Stevie, give 'em the pizza" Sam gestures to Stevie, who hands the box over to Kurt in exchange for the money, smiling up at them.

"If I go with Sam, I get to stay up after my bedtime" he announces happily, and Blaine smiles back at him.

"Well, thanks for delivering the pizza for me. Fastest service I've had" he hums and Stevie proceeds to grin wider and look up at his brother.

"Hear that, Sam? I'm the fastest" he practically beams before he bolts off down the hallways, rounding the corner out of sight.

"Oh god. I gotta go before he tries to drive. Again. Have a good night guys" Sam manages to get out before he too takes off, leaving Kurt and Blaine standing in the doorway with a box of pizza.

"Was that weird for you?" Blaine asks and Kurt turns to look at him.

"Very. I'll try and talk to him when he's at ours on the weekend" he shrugs and Blaine bites his lip, looking over his shoulder at the other boys who are currently making paper airplanes instead of studying.

"Do you want to take this back to my room? I have a Grey's Anatomy episode with our names on it" Blaine hums and shakes the pizza box, Kurt nodding quickly.

"Yes. But they're going to think we're leaving for sex" he whispers and Blaine grins.

"Let them think what they want to think."

Kurt rolls his eyes and links his arm with Blaine's, and Blaine walks them off down the hall, completely content that he can spend a school night like this with his boyfriend. He wonders just how long this bliss with actually last, and his thoughts are interrupted by a small buzz in his pocket. He fishes around for his phone and pulls it out, his stomach starting to twist a little as he reads the message.

**_From Cooper:_**

**Hey squirt, you called like 4 times. Everything cool?**

Blaine stares at the screen of his phone before he slides it back into his pocket.

Not tonight.

* * *

_**Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I know it is taking me a while to upload, but honestly, life is still crazy. Work is hard and my down time has been limited, but I am still dedicated to this fic! Now, I know that Blaine's birthday in Canon was never really told, and everyone has their own opinions about when it could have been, but I have settled for it being 6 April 1994.**_

_**I know Glee Wiki says April 1995, but in my head, Blaine should have been graduating with Kurt. I decided to keep my Blaine back for another round of Freshmen year at Dalton because of the assault at the Sadie Hawkins dance, which SHOULD have happened. He was traumatized by it (I will go into more details of this in 'Prom Queen', and I think it is justified to have needed to repeat a year. This also explains to me why Blaine does so well in school. He's scared of having to repeat, again.  
So yes, my Blaine is 17 years old now, only a year younger than Kurt. I would love to hear your opinions on the Blaine age debate, and let me know what you thought of this chapter :D :D**_


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